What Inspires You?

When I have a few moments, I like to see what other bloggers are up to and get inspirations. This of course, can turn into hours when you find an interesting blog that won’t let you leave. Here are a few of the most enticing blogs I uncovered this week. Warning: you could get sucked in and might possibly feel the need to be creative!

 Overall Interesting

http://culturedcivility.com/

I’ve known Wendy for a while and she has always been a very classy lady, and her blog is full of great recipes and helpful tips. As an interior decorator, she is a library of knowledge about what looks good, what feels good and what goes well together for all personality types. Check this blog out and see what inspires you.

 Happy Salad Days

http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2011/03/recipe-for-crunchy-napa-cabbage-asian.html

I’m always looking for a great salad recipe and this one is amazing. The hardest part about this recipe is that I want to eat the whole thing instead of portioning it out properly so I only make half. With spring right around the corner, I can’t wait to add even more salads to our dinner menu. What’s you’re favorite salad veggie??

Updating My Wardrobe

http://www.henryhappened.com/sequin-heart-diy-t-shirt.html

I actually spotted this heart tee before Valentine’s and wanted to make it then, but life was in such chaos, that I am revisiting this inspiring design now and since it’s a heart, I can really wear it anytime.

Creativity Inspired

http://howdidyoumakethis.com/blog/2013/1/24/two-in-one-bag-make-this.html

I love making bags, and this is a great tutorial to help even a novice bag maker like me. As I unpack my craft boxes, I am finding fabric that would be great for this piece, plus I was told that there is a craft store on our little Main Street that has remnants of fabric for really cheap. I may just need to have a purse for every season, or week.

 For My Jewelry Box

http://www.operationoverhaul.com/2012/11/braided-thread-bracelet-tutorial/

Sometimes a girl just needs a touch of spring and a new jewelry piece to show off. This is a great project if you only have an hour and need to update your outfit, but don’t want to spend a whole lot of cash.

Healthy Inspiration

http://aromatic-cooking.blogspot.in/2013/01/chilli-garlic-quinoa.html

I am always looking for a new quinoa recipe and this one sounds delightful. I have it on my menu list for next week as the perfect lunch treat on a cold day. I especially like the addition of cabbage to the quinoa and I am thinking about adding some sliced red and orange peppers as well for color and, of course, bulk. I may also spruce it up with some lime zest and juice.  Delicious!

Puppy Prints

http://www.ownedbypugs.com/index.php/pugblog

Our puppy Polly is a pug mix and even before I got her (March 1 marked 4 years),  I have been addicted to pugs. If you’re a puppy person, pug person or just into cute pictures of animals, take a gander at these oh-so-lovely squished-in faces!

A Doggie Day

I love spending a day with the kids. I am definitely one of those dog people who see their pups as their kids, not just pets and love spending time just with them. This morning, I took Polly and Finn up to the Fort DeSoto Dog Park and let them run around for a while and meet new friends.

As you see they made themselves pretty tired and snoozed the rest of the day.

Catching up and moving on

This weekend was a whirlwind of fun and frivolity so the blog was left to wander on its own. Short updates:

Thursday was the local Addy Awards and my team scored a few wins, with Ren taking home the Best of The Bay Award for Sales Collateral!!! Now we move on up to districts.

Friday was the beginning of a wonderful Valentine’s. Really it was the best Valentine’s ever! Paul is an incredible romantic and I just fell into it all – and it was fun! It was also the start of the cutest canine contest with Finn vying for a shot at the cover of TBT. Care to vote for my little boy? Here’s your chance --- http://tampabay.upickem.net/engine/Welcome.aspx?contestid=13224

 

Saturday, Paul and I went to see a matinee of Wicked, a first for me and his second time. I loved it. The music was fantastic and going to the theatre is such a pleasure with dressing up and all. Afterward we went out for a romantic steak dinner complete with chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne.

Sunday Feb 14 was present day and I gave Paul the afghan I have been working on for months. He appreciated my efforts and artistry saying it was the nicest Valentine’s gift he ever received. I liked that. Millie has taken to the afghan as well so everyone is getting a chance to enjoy it.

The past few days have just been getting things taken care of and preparing for Lent. Though I am not affiliated with any particular religion, it is something I grew up with and appreciate the opportunity to look deeper into myself and into my beliefs honoring the next 40 days and the gratitude I have for all my blessings.

Feelin’ A Little Hopey Changey

I have yet to find a picture for the bathroom. Rephrased, finding a picture that is in a store for the bathroom. Being as my budget is pretty tight (rephrased as, I need to have a garage sale to pay for anything new I want in the house), this is still in a holding pattern. I have thought about using one of my photos blown up and framed, but there is some spend with the enlarging and the framing. Then I thought I would take some of the photos and postcards I already have and which are already framed, but I am unsure about the multiple pictures.

Like many folks, I need to change things up a bit from time to time and it always seems that this need is when I have the least amount of money. Since Finn had his last operation, it has been a struggle making ends meet, but every time I look in his cute little eyes, I fall in love all over again and don’t care about the money. Being broke actually seems to have made me more creative.

How? Starving artists for centuries have made great works of art from nothing. Yes, many had benefactors who paid for their marble, absinthe and ink. What I have is inspiring Web sites, a garage full of crap, baskets of yarn and hope.

See no matter how bad it seems to be, I still have hope. Hope I will have food on the table, that Finn will get better and not be in danger nor need to go to the vet so often and that one day I won’t have to worry so much about those mighty dollars. Until then, I get creative and start having a lot of gratitude for what I do have. All those crazy material things that make the house look like a home are nice, but it’s the look in my little boy’s eyes when I come home. (Polly too). In fact, I was looking so deeply into his eyes and feeling that love that you only feel when you know that you really love the person (or dog). You know that melting feeling like you just want to hold them forever, and even the tiniest notion that you won’t have them forever makes you appreciate them that much more. That’s what I feel for all my kids. That unconditional love.

And that made me realize that the power Finn has in his eyes could help us out. So I am entering my cutest canine into the TBT Cutest Canine Contest. I will send a notice to my blog and Facebook friends to vote for my little guy, but I’m sure once you lay eyes on him you won’t need any persuading. The grand prize is $500, a well-needed treat for mommy, which will go directly to paying his medical bills.

See there is always hope, even when it is hiding, you just have to open your eyes.

BTW, I went with the scattering of small pictures for now.