Tag: favorite things

The Luck of the Friday to Ye

Happy Friday! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!! May today be lucky, plucky, clucky, ducky and crispy! (see Wack-a Chicken game) Obviously, I am in my typical devil-may-care Friday mood! On Fridays, I try to stay away from the serious side of life. On Fridays, I discuss my favorites of anything. Life is supposed to be lived sensually and tactically and curiously and peacefully, and then our minds start making up stories about it – stories that get us all tripped up. On to my favorite for today:

While we all love clovers on St. Patty’s Day (especially the elusive yet extremely lucky four leaf clovers), we usually do not like clovers on any other day, especially clover that shows up in huge swaths in our lawns. In wanting to be good to the Earth and also good to our three dogs, my husband no longer purchases synthetic weed killer. (which he insists doesn’t work well anymore, anyway) Instead my husband swears by this formula (which, you guessed it, is my favorite for today): 30 percent Harris Vinegar (one gallon), 1 cup coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon dish washing liquid. He mixes all three ingredients in his sprayer and makes sure that the concoction sits for 30 minutes so that it dissolves and mixes completely. Harris Vinegar is much stronger than the usual stuff that you get in grocery stores and use in salads. It’s worth every dime when used as a cleaner and as a weed assassin.

Some Irish proverbs to consider:

May you be at the gates of heaven an hour before the devil knows you’re dead!

May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you are going, and the insight to know when you have gone too far.

 May the saddest day of your future be no worse than the happiest day of your past.

It is often that a person’s mouth broke his nose.

And what I wish for all of you, my beloved readers:

May your heart be light and happy, may your smile be big and wide, and may your pockets always have a coin or two inside!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Smile Sock Friday!

Happy Friday!!! Happy Favorite Things Friday!!! Today’s favorite is a different pair of socks than shown above, but when I was searching for a cute Friday meme, with socks, these showed up. These Monday/Friday sock sets are sold by Uncommon Goods. Adorable!!! I’m sure happy that it’s the day to wear the yellow pair.

On Fridays, I discuss only the frivolous side of life – stuff. On Fridays, I talk about my favorite things. Today’s favorite is also a pair of socks I saw a woman wearing at the Stretchlab, and I decided that I had to have them. She told me that I was the fifth person to compliment them. These are non-slip socks that have a see-through mesh top with beautiful floral embroidery on them. These TAVI NOIR socks are like “shoes light”, and they make you feel like you are a beautiful ballerina. If you must wear non-slip socks around somewhere, they might as well be beautiful. Here is the link on Amazon:

I was at the beach yesterday. I can tell that spring break is full-on. My own daughter comes home tonight for her spring break. Good times! Enjoy it, all!! See you tomorrow.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Dog Lovers Friday

Happy Friday, friends!! Happy Best Day of the Week!! Our daughter is coming home for the weekend from college, so needless to say this is a great Friday for us! (but aren’t all Fridays wonderful?!) My regular readers know that I dedicate Fridays on the blog, to the materially fun and frivolous. On Fridays, I discuss stuff that I like. That’s it. Nothing deeper than stuff and fluff that I like. Please check out previous Friday posts for more favorites and please share your favorites in my Comments section. I’m always looking to add to my list of favorites in my life!

Today’s favorite I picked up the other day because I love all things related to stationery. (And I love all things related to dogs.) Of course I didn’t need another pad of paper, but this one makes me particularly happy. Today’s favorite is Eccolo World Traveler Dog Lover’s Pad. What makes this pad of paper particularly special is that each piece of paper features a different dog. There is not one duplicate of the same dog! We dog lovers know that each dog, even if they are of the same breed, are as utterly unique as individual snowflakes and fingerprints. If you are a dog lover (and most of us are, it seems) you will find this pad for jotting down notes and lists, a must-have! You can purchase Eccolo World Traveler Dog Lover’s Pad at Staples like I did, or you can order it from Amazon.

I hope that your tails wag all weekend, and that you have new exciting tales to tell of what you explored and experienced! See you tomorrow.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Ferocious Friday

I’ve cut right to the chase today with my favorite for this Friday! My regular readers know that Fridays on the blog are for sharing my favorite stuff in life – books, games, movies, products, websites, etc. Please check out all previous Friday posts for more favorites. Today’s favorite is being demonstrated above.

My daughter told me about the “Happy Color” app. She said that I would love it because it is something that I can do with my hands while I am watching TV. (I could never get the hang of knitting) Happy Color is like paint by numbers without the mess. It’s incredibly satisfying to complete a picture and watch it being “played” like the picture I colored above. Some of the pictures don’t even have black lines so you start coloring “a mystery picture” that starts coming into form, as you fill in the colors. It’s so satisfying!! This game is fun to do before you drift off to sleep. There are endless pages to color, and it is a free app with minimal advertisements. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Have a wonderful weekend! See you tomorrow!!

(This was one of my “mystery” pictures that came to life as we “watched” football, i.e. me coloring, and my husband sleeping.)

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

There’s a Theme Here, Friday

Today’s Favorite:

credit: @woofknight

Kidding, not kidding. Does this really exist? Happy Friday!! Happy Favorite Things Friday! On Fridays, I stick to the frivolous stuff in life. The more that I study philosophy, the more that I realize the gist and the meaning of it all: Stay in every precious fleeting moment and just enjoy it, dammit. How better to go about that task than playing around with the stuff of life? On Fridays on the blog, I talk about one of the things, the websites, the songs, the arts, the crafts, the products, the movies, the books etc. which have made my life more interesting and fun. Please see previous Friday posts for more favorites and please add your favorites to my Comments section.

Today’s favorite is pretty practical. I’m in that stage in January while I am still having fun organizing and cleaning stuff out. (I’m expecting this mojo of mine to fizzle soon, so I am capitalizing on the moment.) Confession, for most of my adult life I have had a plastic grocery bag storage problem. (And let me say right here, that I use recycled bags whenever I can, but we have three big dogs. Those teeny, tiny rolls of plastic bags which are impossible to open, and are equally impossibly small, just don’t cut it for our large dogs’ “leave behinds” on our walks. Only plastic grocery bags do the job properly.) Anyway, I have always devoted one or two cabinets in our kitchen or laundry room to the overflowing cloud of plastic garbage bags that pops out and threatens to drown and suffocate the entire household every so often. What a ridiculous waste of space! I found this contraption on Amazon that seems to hold a million plastic bags in a small tube which can be hung in our garage. The bags are removed from the bottom, much like you remove a Clorox wipe from it’s container. I just freed up a whole giant shelf in our laundry room! Voila!! Look up “TOGETRUE Plastic Bag Holder, Mesh Grocery Bag Holder Hanging Storage Bag Dispenser” on Amazon or other retail sites.

And bonus favorite for today: Earlier this month I wrote a blog admitting to my addiction to pens. Luckily another reader came forth with her pen addiction and we had a bonding moment. I mentioned finding Japanese Kokeshi doll pens in a cute Japanese shopping area in New Jersey, that are not only adorable but are absolutely perfect for writing. (their fine tips and their black ink is divine!) It turns out that these perfect pens are available on Amazon to purchase. (What isn’t? I know.) Search up Japanese doll pens, and you will see that there are a plethora of choices.

Enjoy your weekend, friends!!! See you tomorrow.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Mysterious Friday

“Their hotel-worker guide explains to them that it’s called a Testa di Moro. He explains, ‘The story is a Moor came here a long time ago and seduced a local girl. But then she found out that he had a wife and children back home. So because he lied to her, she cut his head off.’

Rocco doesn’t tell them the rest of the legend, or the other interpretations of the Testa di Moro’s origins. According to Visit Sicily, after the girl removed the man’s head, she used it as a vase to grow basil. The scent attracted her neighbors, who loved the vase and had copies of it commissioned.

But Visit Sicily also gives another backstory for the statues. In a different version of the legend, the girl and the Moor fell in love. When her parents found out, they beheaded both of them and hung their heads as a warning. That’s why the heads are usually shown in pairs, though “White Lotus” mostly shows the man’s head alone, referencing the other version of the story.” – Pop Sugar, describing the meaning behind a statue of a man’s head in an episode of The White Lotus, Season 2

Happy Friday!! Happy Best Day of the Week!! I don’t mean to make this a macabre Friday post, but I got absolutely entranced with this interesting pottery after watching The White Lotus, Season 2 this fall. My regular readers know that Fridays on the blog are devoted to my favorite things. I get out of my head and I fully engage with my consumer side on Fridays. Things that I love to consume are just a product of other people’s incredible creativity. Think about it. Everything that you use in your life arrived first from someone’s creativity and imagination before it landed on your back, in your house, in your mouth, sparked your interest, or touched your heart. This is how we are all connected.

Back to today’s favorite: I love pottery. I love keeping my plants in interesting containers. I often love the containers almost as much as I love my plants. Italian pottery is wonderful. So, I started on a quest to find a Testa di Moro of my own. However, reality is, the last thing that I need to take care of, is more plants. Ask my gardener. (also known as my husband) So instead, I found a website that sells wonderful Testa di Moros that I can wear. (which if I am being painfully truthful with myself, I even need more jewelry, less than I need more plants). But c’est la vie, it’s Friday and I LOVE plants and jewelry!

This Etsy website called EtnaBijoux, based in Sicily, Italy, has the most divine Testa di Moro earrings. I purchased two pairs and I adore them. They arrived surprisingly fast from Italy and they are even prettier than their pictures. I can feel the maker’s passion for them, by looking at their intricate quality. Go here for a little piece of Sicily to wear whenever you want to feel exotic and divine and you want to keep life interesting and mysterious: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EtnaBijoux?ref=yr_purchases

Salute!!! The weekend is almost here!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Feel Good and Figa Friday

Below is the feel good video of the season, in my mind. It’s my favorite holiday video that I’ve seen so far. You know that this little girl is deeply loved. (and she knows it, too)

https://twitter.com/i/status/1600992072571330560

I needed this video. Yesterday I was running holiday errands. We have a teeny little UPS store right around the corner and it was filled was people. I was sending numerous packages and I was being helped by a sweet, but obviously newbie employee, so the process was painful and crawling. A horrible cat fight ensued right beside me, by an enraged “Karen-like” customer (who had her dog in tow) and the equally enraged female manager. The f-bomb was poppin’ out like Rudolph’s red nose, fully aglow. They were screaming at each other and saying things like, “You should have remembered to take your meds!” and things were being thrown. It was like something out of the Real Housewives. It could have escalated to that crazy scene with Beth and Summer in the last episode of Yellowstone, but thankfully someone called the police. I was so tempted to leave, but the line behind me was out the door. Needless to say, my nerves were shot. (But my packages did get sent.) One old man behind me muttered, “I wish that these New Yorkers would stop moving here!” (which didn’t help defuse the situation and I honestly don’t think either woman was a New Yorker. In my experience, New Yorkers are usually very nice.) Anyway . . . .

Today is Friday!!! And Friday’s are devoted to favorite things, products, books, etc.! I don’t get deep, introspective or philosophical on most Fridays. Today’s favorite of mine is fascinating. This is the artwork of Alexis Berger who has a wonderful site on Etsy. She makes a lot of interesting glass jewelry, but my favorite items that she designs, makes and sells are her figas which can be viewed (and purchased) here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AlexisBerger?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1098881296&section_id=13920727

What is a figa or “mano figa” (meaning fig hand)? Alexis writes her explanation here:

Did I purchase one? You bet your figa, I did! The fabulous figa does not disappoint and Alexis also sells lovely beaded, crocheted cords to hang your figa on, to wear or to display. Mano up and buy yourself a figa for Christmas.

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Factful Friday

Good morning, friends!! It has been quite a morning here. Unfortunately my website crashed, and I am out-of-town visiting a family member who is very ill, and I am currently in a different time zone than where I live. I am sorry for this delay on what is usually the best day of the week! Happy Friday!!

On Fridays, I try to keep things light. On Fridays, I discuss “the stuff” in life that makes my own life more interesting and enthralling. On Fridays, I share one of my favorites, whether it be a product, a book, a TV show, a website, whatever. Today’s favorite of mine is actually an email newsletter. It is called 1440 and it is the best, most unbiased source of news stories which I have encountered in a long, long time. Just the facts, ma’am! It is one of the only sources where I get my news information these days. I trust my own mind to make up my own opinions. I prefer to get my influence and my sway from myself, and the people whom I intimately love and trust. You can join 1440 for free, here (and fun fact: there are 1440 minutes in a day)

https://join1440.com/?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email

Friends, we have had some truly deep, tough, rough, yet also miraculous experiences as of late with older extended family members and their health concerns. My relationships with my family and with my friends are vitally important to me and I do my best to protect people’s privacy. That will always be my priority. My stories are my stories to tell, and my loved ones can decide if they want to share their own stories. Their stories are their stories to tell. That being said, I have had some really eye-opening moments of truth recently, realizing that it is truly our souls, our “essence”, which makes us alive, and makes us “us.” No matter what happens to our bodies, our deepest selves can, and do shine through. I trust the wisdom of the Universe more than ever now. When I am pushing against something, and my will is being overtaken by the greater powers that be, I understand that I am being lead to important lessons and evolutions of my own soul. As stubborn as I can be, surrendering to what is, brings a present peace, and eventually a future understanding and wisdom to me like no other experience does. Giving up the struggle (when the world is showing you a powerful “no”) usually leads to a confident quietude that is probably what is supposed to be our true, natural state of being all of the time. We often are our own worst enemies.

Sorry to get so deep on the lightest day of the week! I hope that this finds you all well and excited for the weekend. See you tomorrow, hopefully a little earlier!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Catch the Smilin’ Sun Friday

Good morning! Happy Friday! On Fridays, I discuss the frivolous stuff of life only. I discuss my favorite things, or songs, or products, or foodstuff, or TV shows, etc. I’m feeling generous today, so I am going to list two favorites of mine for you to explore, if you are so inclined. (Btw, this upcoming weekend is “Fall falls back,” on the clocks. How delicious is that?! An extra hour of sleep is definitely a favorite of mine!)

Let’s just cut to the chase. Today’s first favorite of mine: suncatchers by Scout Curated Wears. These are not your Grandma’s cardinal/rainbow suncatchers. These are not your handmade Makit & Bakit suncatchers that were always ruined by that stray color bead that you just couldn’t remove from the section you didn’t want it in. These suncatchers are actually modern, intriguing, and spiritually pleasing. Scout Curated Wears has a lovely website with other pretty items like jewelry and greeting cards. Go to their site and enjoy perusing all of their offerings.

And my bonus favorite for today: Smilin’ Bob’s Smoked Fish Dip As I grabbed yet another two tubs of this delectable treat, and threw them into my shopping cart, my seafood grocer yelled out to me, “Oh, so you’re the one who keeps me selling out of this stuff!” Yep, it’s me. Guilty as charged. Although, I am sure I am not the only one who can’t get enough of this stuff. I have always loved fish dip, but hands down, this is the best fish dip I have ever eaten. Just call me “Smilin’ Kelly.”

Enter the weekend with this thought: “You get to decide your life.” Try it out. Just for the weekend: “You get to decide your weekend.” You won’t have control of everything that happens this weekend, but you do get to decide your reaction to it all. Decide wisely. Catch the sun and keep smilin’!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.

Friday Travels of the Mind

-Jonah Lehrer

Good morning! You woke up to the best day of the week. Fridays are fabulous. On Fridays, I don’t discuss anything serious. I keep it light and fun. On Fridays, I discuss favorite things. Today’s favorite of mine might have you questioning my sanity (if you haven’t already). We were in a Japanese area of New Jersey earlier this week, and that is where I discovered the adorable Sonny Angels. (The Japanese people seem to have the market on all things “cute.” Remember Hello Kitty?) Sonny Angels are so popular that the one store was entirely sold out of them. Sonny Angels are little naked kewpie doll figurines that have funny little helmets made out of fruit, or animals, or sea creatures, etc. They also have a pair of adorable angel wings on the back of each Sonny Angel. The true fun of Sonny Angels is that you buy a box in one theme, such as “Sonny Angels Vegetable Series” and then you open the box up, to see which figurine you got. I ended up with the adorable “Bok Choy Sonny Angel.” I bought myself a few boxes for the glorious fun of opening them up and being surprised, and I offered to buy a couple for my 26-year-old son. He looked at me like I had three heads. He said, “Mom, if I had Sonny Angels lying around my apartment, people might call the police, thinking I am some kind of weird pedophile.” Luckily for me, I’m just some quirky middle-aged lady, so I can get away with the fun of purchasing silly little dolls. I know that you are curious to check these cutie kewpies out. Their official website is here:

https://sonnyangelusa.com/

We are back home from our travels. It was a wonderful trip and a lovely visit with our son. I feel refreshed (but also exhausted). I think that the quote above is spot on. I read once that we all are just an accumulation of our experiences: the people you meet, the books you read, the things you see. I love how travel wakes you up to new perspectives, ideas, questions, and joys. Travel always opens you up to new elements of yourself. Have a great weekend. See you tomorrow!

Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.