Owlets, II

Happily, the owlets are safe with their mother, and as it turns out nesting near by the plant, where they have many 'mothers' now in the operators and staff. Everyone is looking out for them. These are a few more snaps taken - the one where it' head is turned reminds Mano of Scarlet:)

Northwest Light at Sunset

In the late afternoon, every day, we get this lovely light that hits across the front of our house and yard, not in the back, just in the front. It's really magical; I never tire of it. I often try to capture it in a photo - these pics are my latest attempt; taken yesterday.

Because of this lovely light, we often find ourselves taking portrait snaps in the front, either outside or in the library - it's flattering and just really pretty. It's the best time to take pictures, but you have to be quick, and prepared. It comes rather suddenly and is fleeting, only lasting moments.

Owls

Mano found these little owlets in the middle of the highway - he tried to call for assistance to the fish and game dept but didn't get an answer, so he picked them up with gloves and set them in the truck to get them to a safe area, where he left them up in a tree. I hope their mama owl found them ok - he tried to make it not too far from where he found them, but away from the highway. The photo was taken with a cell phone, so the image quality isn't top notch, but if you look closely, you will find two small owls. He went back to check on them half an hour later, but they were gone, so hopefully they are with their mom. Very sweet.

Frown Alot?

Frown-alot?

Turn that frown upside down

Ok so these little patches are probably the greatest invention ever. They have been around for a million (well fifity or so) years and they seem to work like a charm. Stick the patches in your areas of concern (between the eyebrows, forehead, around the mouth) and leave the patches onn for 3-8 hours and the muscles just seem to forget how to make that judgey/angry face. And for only $30/box you can just stick them on your whole face and look like a character out of Star Trek!

Is there no end to the variety of products that will be invented? I wish I had a million dollar idea:) I don't think I frown all that much, since I don't have frown lines, but if I get them, I'll keep this in mind.

My New Best Friend - Electrolux

The title of this is a bit of a misnomer, because when it comes to floor cleaning, my real best friend is Judy, my housekeeper helper. But when she isn't due for a few days, or even a week, then I want something easy - and these two tools fit the bill. The Bissell steamer I've had for about a year, and I like it a lot, though it hasn't revolutionized my life like the Electrolux has.

This vacuum (bottom photo) is amazing for several reasons:

1. rechargeable...so super handy dandy

2. light in weight

3. powerful for it's size

4. it has 2 ways to remove the dust from the dust cup, so easy. The second way (the first being the obvious way) is to use the hose from your central vac when it's out for your regular vacuuming - it fits up to a hole in the canister so that you can just vacuum out the dust cup without ever taking anything apart - which is much cleaner.

5. it is agile...this little baby can turn on a dime.

6. it's slim so easy to store

7. can be used on any floor/carpet surface

8. it has a hand vacuum attachment

9. mine is a pretty gold color.

10 there are two special attachments for small specialized jobs.

It only has a downside if you expect it to be your regular vacuum - it's not nearly powerful enough for that, but if you use it to do quick clean ups, in between your bigger cleaning with the central vac - come on, who wants to bring out the 3 miles of hose and power head for a quick clean up - then you will love this vacuum.

So, first I go over everything with the Electrolux, and then if needed go over again with the Bissell Steamer...which is also very easy to use, but you know, it's corded, needs water, you have to move everything out of the way...I only do if I have to, but I whip the vacuum out every day.

I bought mine at Costco for $99, however, in July, it's going on sale for $79.

Is it Christmas?

I came across this video from last Christmas; it really made me smile:) God was kind in that after the craziness of child rearing, he softens all the edges with the love of grandchildren. They are so dear and precious.

Copper Kettle

Last year I was on the hunt for an authentic copper pot or kettle, and combing eBay for one...but they are rather difficult to find and often quite expensive. I had kind of abandoned the hunt, and then lo and behold, this pretty copper pot arrived in the post today from mom. This was a thoughtful surprise... especially because mom doesn't like to mail stuff, but you know when you have the perfect gift, and this was perfect, so thanks for putting it in the mail for me:) The kettle looks beautiful in my kitchen, and I really do love it.

Mac Pigments 4 Less

I have only just begun to experiment with pigments, but in learning about them the first thing I noticed is that they come in gargantuan sizes - I mean in life time, Costco™, super-sized amounts. Thusly, they are expensive. In order to sample many different colours and NOT be committed to life time amounts - I have ordered mine from an online store called 'TheBodyNeeds" at www.thebodyneeds2.com where the product comes (1/4 teaspoon) in little 3-5 gram screw top jars. These are the perfect size, and cost around 1.99 each so you can try as many as you like. I'm not sure I could use up even 1/4 teaspoon, it's more than you think, as the product goes a long way. If you find that you really love a certain color and are using more of it, then buy the original size. Here are my favorites so far:

• Naked

• Melon

• Blue Brown

Something else I have discovered...Lancome's Art Liner (the absolute best liquid eye liner - truly) retails for an astounding $38 at Sephora here in Canada, but you can pick this up, along with many other great bargains at another online store called www.beautyisrelative.com for $14. Now that is a bargain, not too much more than drugstore, oh so smooth to apply. It takes the 'tricky' out of liquid liner.

Rice for Two

Rice is very important to this family; if Mano doesn't have rice, then no one can be happy. He needs rice and an onion to be happy. His mom used to pack an onion in her purse, when he was little, any time they went out, because he wouldn't eat with out one. When we had the recent rice scarcity a few months back, I stopped at every grocery store along the way home to pick up the rice I could...I now have a years supply of rice so that Mano's mental health is never put to the test again:)

Isn't this a pretty home for rice?

These lovelies can be found on Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/dbabcock

Timmy Love

Thank you for the LOVELY flowers Timmy! You are a peach:)

NieNie

Find Stephanie at nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

100 Things About Me

I am up to 56. Whew, it's hard work coming up with 100 tidbits that paint the picture of 'me'. It should be easy, but au contraire.

Lush - Well, You Learn Something Every Day

I repurchase this Dream Cream on a regular basis, among a couple of other products (I'll list my favorites below) from Lush. In Canada, its $24.95. I learned today that if you order directly from the UK - with the exchange (to Canadian dollars), the cost is $14.50. That is a big difference! On an order of several items, with the shipping, it's still worth the effort of placing the order from the UK.

Here are my Lush Favorites:

1. Dream Cream

2. Big Shampoo ( LOVE LOVE LOVE) (Curly Wurly is also wonderful, if you don't mind picking out bits of coconut from your hair when you get out of the shower)

3. Retread Conditioner

4. Smitten Hand Cream

5. Lush Deodorants (any - they all work!)

6. Honey I Washed the Kids soap

7. Prince shave cream

There are products that I feel Lush is more well known for, but that I think are expensive and don't really do anything - this category includes the bath bombs, bars, a lot of the soaps, facial concoctions etc.

Blog Design

I have a need for variety, and can't seem to settle on a blog design. It's a good thing that I am not a major corporation like COKE™ or APPLE™ because if I were, I would have significant brand issues. Happily, I am just a woman who likes to design blog pages, so it doesn't matter if I change my blog design every month or so...it may require a double take on your part, to make sure you are in the right place.

Have you noticed I appear to have a penchant for birds? There is a reason for this. (Mariah recently asked Mark "What's with all the birds around here?") My grandchildren come to visit my home, and when they do, all our birds out. We have chrome birds, ceramic birds, glass birds. They love to gather them, and wrap them in dish towels, or 'nests' and make bird families. I will find them wrapped up in a corner, or tucked under a cushion. It is a special and regular 'thing' that we share. They know that they are allowed to play with any of the birds, which are actually here for them. In fact, I picked up a little white ceramic bird today at The Urban Barn, for $3.50. It will be on display for my grandchildren when they come in 2 weeks:)

I also have a thing for Poppies and pugs...a tribute to our beloved and belated pug, Poppy. I have a sign in my back entry that says 'Stay Calm and Love Pugs'. That is my motto!