Tag: Friday

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.

Sun-washed Shackets on Friday

Happy Friday!! Happy Best Day of the Week!! On most Fridays, I try to keep things light and frivolous. On Fridays, I discuss the fun, material stuff in life. On Fridays, I list a favorite product, or book, or website, or whatever, that has added some zest to my own life. Please share your favorites (if you are so inclined) in my Comments section.

On an aside, my aunt recommended the movie Genius to me, which is about the relationship between the writer Thomas Wolfe and his longtime editor, Max Perkins. (who also was the discoverer/editor of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway) I watched the movie last night and I enjoyed it greatly. The reason why I bring it up today, here on the blog, on “Frivolous Friday” is that at one point in the movie, Thomas Wolfe laments about how ridiculously unimportant and frivolous his job as a novelist is, in light of the horrors of war, and of The Great Depression. Max Perkins tells Thomas Wolfe that he believes that it was the storytellers, around the fires of ancient men and women, who kept the tribe feeling safe and focused and occupied, while dangers lurked all around them in the way of wild creatures and harsh weather. In that way, perhaps the storytellers helped to keep the tribe inspired, cohesive, and distracted, (and maybe even alive) when they needed to be. The point being, perhaps nothing really is frivolous in life, right? Everything has its meaning and purpose. Nothing is important, and everything is important, all at the same time.

So in getting back to today’s “frivolity”, my favorite for today are “shackets“. I’ve noticed many people wearing them around, particularly as winter is slowly morphing into spring. Shackets are shirts that are heavier than most shirts, so they double as jackets, but they are not so heavy, as to be needed to be taken off when worn indoors. Shackets are usually flannel and they make a lovely, convenient compliment to an otherwise plain outfit of a turtleneck and jeans. A shacket is a must-have for every wardrobe.

And a bonus favorite: I have moved on from my once, tried-and-true favorite Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath & Body Works wallflower plug-in refill scents, after years of trying all different aromas. My new favorite: Sun-washed Citrus. It smells amazing and it is actually long lasting! If these refills can make a room, where two sweaty young men housed their dirty clothes/shoes (and God knows what else?) for their entire teenhoods, while their huge, loyal, earthy smelling Labrador retriever slept with them every night, now smell like a beautiful, refreshing orchard that you actually want to spend a fair amount of time in, Bath & Body Works Sun-washed Citrus Wallflower Refills, are nothing short of aromatic miracles.

Have a fabulous weekend, friends! 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.

Mushie Friday

credit:@Rollinon31s

RIP – Lisa Marie Presley

I’ve come to the realization that I’ve accelerated to the age when about once a week, our society is losing someone who was a big part of the popular culture when I was coming up in this world. I can’t imagine what it’s like when you accelerate to the age when you start frequently losing the loved ones you’ve actually come up with. It must be breathtakingly difficult.

I’m sorry. I know that the previous statement does not fit in with the blog’s devil-may-care Friday aesthetic. On Fridays, here at the blog, we focus on the frivolous. Fridays are for favorites and I list a favorite thing, song, book, website, product, etc. and I hope that you will add your favorites to my Comments. Please check out previous Friday posts for more favorites. (Most of them are STILL my favorites, even years later)

Today’s favorite is from a local seller, Cassie, who is just a wonderful person. She is so passionate about her creations, and her store. Cassie has many neat things that she sells and her homemade aromatherapy sprays are amazing, but I am going to focus on one little cheapie item that has been a hit with me, and my daughter, and her friends. It is such an inexpensive pick-me-up, and yet it makes me smile every single time I look at it. The link below shows you what I’m talking about. It is a delicate, happy, little mushroom night light that changes colors as you watch it. For only $6, it gives you a lot of little bangs and pangs of happiness for your bucks. Peruse Cassie’s store for other good stuff, but make sure that you put at least one of these night lights into your cart. You won’t regret your mushie.

https://www.astrastpete.com/product/mushroom-night-light/277?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=4

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!! Hello and welcome and thank you to all of the new subscribers who have come on board lately! What you get in your email is just my first draft and I guarantee that it will have at least one typo, until my editor (aka, my gardener, my lover, my pool boy, my best friend, my patron, my partner in crime, my husband) gets his gorgeous, green, detail oriented eyes on the post. So, if typos annoy you (they annoy me, even though I make them every single day), please just keep coming to the website. And please say hello and tell me what’s on your mind in the Comments. I know that you guys are out there. I see the numbers. Don’t be shy!

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.

Freezing Friday

@woofknight, Twitter

As a woman who grew up in Pittsburgh, PA (RIP – Franco Harris – a true Pittsburgh great, in every sense of the word), and then spent most of her adult life in the south, I can attest that the above meme is true and worth a smile. I spent many clueless moments on icy roads, all by myself, when we first moved to Charlotte, NC from Pittsburgh. It turns out that the south does not have salt storage domes. I hope that wherever you are, you remain safe and warm this weekend.

Happy Friday!!! Is everyone ready for the holiday weekend? Is everyone sick of patiently answering, and politely asking that question? Now, it’s finally here. (It’s funny, the Big Day isn’t really even quite here yet and my daughter just announced that her social battery is on way low. Mine is on dead and draining out orange gook.)

Back to the program: My regular readers know that I devote Fridays on the blog to the frivolous. On Fridays, I list a favorite of mine and who knows, it may end up being a favorite of yours, too?

Today’s favorite: Landies Candies stuffed chocolate pretzels. My friend gave me some of these delectable treats for Christmas and with every bite, I fell more in love. These are chocolate covered pretzels which are also filled with luscious caramel and peanut butter filling. I am not sure if I have ever had a tastier treat. This is a good one to keep in your back pocket to give out as a treat, next Christmas. Landies Candies website is here:

https://landies.com/

I am sending lots of warmth and love from my heart to yours. May the hearth of my heart help to keep you warm and comforted no matter how far apart we may be. Happy Christmas Weekend!

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

Stretch Out Friday

(And Yay!, It’s My Birthday!!)

Hi readers and friends. We have a lot going on in our family right now. After a long, protracted, difficult decline, my mother-in-law passed on yesterday. That’s our sad, bad, terrible news. Our happy news is that today is my birthday, and I am receiving the best birthday present that I could possibly ask for at this time. Our youngest son is graduating from college today, a semester early. My longtime friends and readers know that we went through pure hell in the fall of 2021, as our son’s epileptic seizures were not being controlled by medication. He was suffering at least one major seizure a week, for several weeks in a row. We spent a lot of time in hospitals, and we had a lot of teary, distraught conversations about what to do next. Our youngest son talked about dropping out of college more than once. But, he persisted. We persisted. His wonderful doctor persisted. And we found a combination of three medications which have kept our son seizure-free for over a year now. (Do you remember that part yesterday when I wrote about the clouds always, always passing? . . . . they do. They do. The clouds ALWAYS pass.) And today, our youngest son becomes a college graduate! And I am so utterly grateful for this turn of events. God/Life/Universe: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Family/Friends/Readers, for your kindness and support and prayers and love: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Please bear with me these next few weeks. Writing is therapeutic for me, and I fully expect to continue to write my daily blog. I’ve written on the daily for years now, in my normal times, and in my not so normal times. I have written this daily blog from different states, and even being in different countries. I have definitely written this blog in so, so many, many different states of mind (which you probably can tell). The bottom line is, I love to write, and I love the connection that I have with all of you, my beloved readers. And I am a big one for consistency, reliability, dependability, devotion etc. Still, I’ve got a lot going on. Things are pretty bittersweet here with my family. I may not be as consistent or as “level” as I would like to be in the next few weeks going forward, so please just bear with me. I always bounce back. And I need you.

Okay, I know. This is a lot for a Friday post. I have readers who tell me that they only check in on the blog on Fridays, to read about my “favorite stuff.” They don’t want to go all deep and philosophical and that’s okay by me. Believe me, I get it. I love my stuff. Stuff is the stuff of life. Today, I will still share a favorite with you. My favorite for today is a chain called StretchLab and I adore this place. It’s like doing yoga that’s carefully assisted. It’s like a combination of yoga and a massage. You don’t have to get undressed, and you feel so damn good throughout the whole experience. (Come on baby, make it hurt so good!) If you have sore spots on your body (who doesn’t?), this is the place for you to go to experience some real relief and to get reacquainted with your physical body.

Okay, all. I love you. Happy Friday! Happy Birthday to me! I hope to “see” you tomorrow.

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

Fridayness

Happy Friday!! Happy Best Day of the Week!! On Fridays, I discuss the “stuff of life” – books, products, beauty items, food items, what-have-yous, ect – the literal stuff in life. Fridays are dedicated to my favorite things that get me excited. Please check out previous Friday posts for more favorites and add your own favorites to my Comments. It’s okay for us to share some of the same favorites.

My favorite for today is Utah Mint Chocolate Truffles. These are like Russell Stover’s french mint candies, but on steroids. They are amazingly delicious and refreshing. We bought an enormous bag at Costco last week and they are almost all gone. Move over Pumpkin Spice, it’s mint time!

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

Friday Smells Great

‘Tis the season!! Happy Black Friday, although this year it seems like it has been Black Friday for weeks on end now. I hope that you are getting lots of good bargains and having fun doing it, on this fabulous Friday (the best day of the week.)

On Fridays, I try to step away from the “f-word”, i.e. “Feelings.” On Fridays on the blog, I discuss the stuff which I like such as products, books, songs, websites, etc. Please check out my previous Friday posts for more good stuff.

My favorite for today is rareESSENCE aromatherapy inhalers. Smell might be my favorite sense that we have, and these inhalers are wonderful. I have been using my rareESSENCE aromatherapy DEFENSE inhaler, since I purchased it in New York City in late October, and I haven’t been sick despite being on a few filled flights, at packed college fraternity parties, crowded bars and restaurants, hospitals, sold out movie theaters, and being around more people in the last 3-4 weeks than I have been around in months. I don’t know if this inhaler has anything to do with my wellness, but it sure smells great! And great smells have always done wonders for my wellness.

I hope that you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving. May the wonders of the season be more comforting and captivating than ever before, for all of us.

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.