Team Tuesday, July 27,2010

Today's Team Tuesday features Visual Punctuation. Liz is another jewelry maker and she has very cute, unique items. Her cuff bracelets are so different, I have never seen anything like them. Being a jewelry maker and beader myself I appreciate all the hard work that must go into her bracelets. She also sells earrings and necklaces which are very pretty. Here is a few of the items from her store. For more, check out her Etsy store at http://www.visualpunctuation.etsy.com

Team Tuesday - Robyn's Nest

Today on Team Tuesday is Robyn's Nest Boutique.  Robyn has some unique soaps to offer, they are not the usual square shapes.  You'll find popcorn, pickles, gummi bears, lolli pops; all so cute and they would be great in gift baskets. My favorite is the longevity knot.  Find her store at http://www.robynsnestboutique.etsy.com/  and here is a peak at some of her items.

Team Tuesday featuring Accessoryholllc

Hi Everyone.

It's been a while since I did a Team Tuesday and today I am featuring Accessoryholic's store of beautiful jewelry.  Here is her Etsy mini and if you get some time check our her Etsy store at www.accessoryholic.etsy.com  Right now she is having a Christmas in July sale.

What is your favorite vacation?

What is your favorite vacation?  Was it when you were a kid?  How about as a parent taking the family on a vacation?  Or maybe it was your honeymoon... Please read about mine, then tell me about yours in the comments.

My memories of family vacations at the shore are the best.  When we were kids  my parents would rent a bungalow at the shore for either a week or 2 weeks. It was probably the most economical vacation for us because there were 6 of us kids and we could eat most meals at the house.  It was great because the bungalow was usually a block from the beach, so we could walk there, Mom didn't have to pack up the car.  We would spend all morning at the beach, then go back to the house for lunch and if we wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon we would or we would hang out at the house reading or flying kites. 

My favorite reading materials were library books, I would stock up on them before we left home.  But even better were comic books from the little shop up the street from the bungalow.  I always had enough money put aside to buy several of  "The Archies" comic books; they were only 25 cents at the time.  If they were out of "The Archies" I would get Superman or another superhero comic book.  The funny thing is that I never read comics at home, only on vacation at the shore.

Then at night we would go to the boardwalk and go on the rides or play the games in the arcades or bet on the wheels on the boardwalk.  One year I won this huge stuffed snake, it was bigger than I was.  I was so happy.  It probably cost me more in bets on the wheel than it would have to just buy it, but I was happy.  I carried that thing around the boardwalk like it was a trophy.  In the arcades we would play pinball.  I'm showing my age, but that was the big game at the time and most of the games cost a nickle, some were a dime and the most expensive were a quarter.  You only played those if you were a pin ball wizard because it was really difficult to wind free games on the 25 cent machines. 

The last thing I'll tell you about, cause this is getting long, is the food.  Oh the wonderful smells on the boardwalk..... pizza, cotton candy, Philadelphia cheese steak, peppers and onions (I don't eat them but the smell, mixed with everything else made the atmosphere).  We always had to get a box of salt water taffy, it was the best.  I've tried salt water taffy in other parts of the country but it just isn't the same as the Jersey shore.  My favorite thing and probably the worst thing I could eat was cotton candy. My mother had a fit if we asked for it, but would relent at least once during vacation. As an adult I can understand that she was probably seeing multiple visits to the dentist in that pink and blue fluff, but we were just loving the sugar rush.

Well, I could go on and on but I won't. Now I don't get to spend much time at the beach, just too busy and don't really like the crowds.  I can still remember that wonderful, feeling of being so close to the ocean, the fresh salt air, the sounds of the gulls and all the lights of the boardwalk. 

What is your favorite vacation memories?

Remembering Dad

June is a very emotional month for me, it's the month that my Dad passed away and it's the month that we celebrate Father's Day.  So, every time I turn on the TV or the radio, I am barraged with advertisements about finding the right gift for Dad.  Not that I'm taking away anything from anyone else, but it's just really hard for me to hear it.

My Dad was a great guy, he was low key, yet funny and fun and smart.He loved dogs and his cars, I found a picture of his car that my Mom sent to him when he was in the Navy and on the back  was written, "Here is a picture of your other love."

The picture is my Dad, the guy on the right and his brother is on the left. They were at a Hawaiian party.

I'm not sure that there was anyone that didn't like him. Although, I may  be biased there. He would do anything for anyone, and once he got to know you, you were practically a member of the family.  All of my friends thought he was great.  When I lived in St. Louis he came to visit me for about a week.  I lived in an apartment complex where there was always a social event going on.  When he first arrived they were having a happy hour at the clubhouse and he came along with me and fit in like he was one of the gang.  So many people came up to me and said "Your Dad is so cool, I could never see either of my parents hanging out with me".  The whole week he came to all the social events, he even met neighbors that I didn't know. When the end of his visit arrived, all of my friends tried to convince him to stay. 

Then I moved to Chicago and he came to visit and help me move. Again he fit in easily with my friends and of course they thought he should stay longer.  About 10 years later I was back in St. Louis and my Dad was living in Florida.  He had had a stroke and wasn't doing great although he was able to be independent. My brother had suggested that I move there to keep an eye on him.  I sold my house and quit my job and moved to Florida to live with him and make sure he  was ok.

We went to all of his social events, dances, bowling, and even the seniors single group happy hours every Monday.  Nine months after I moved to Florida he had another stroke and 3 months after that he passed away.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him.  I miss him very much.  I was very lucky to be able to spend the last year of my Dad's life with him. We had a lot of fun together, and I was able to be there for him when he got sick. 

Here is what I learned, that you should appreciate people while they are around. Let your parents know that you love them.  I know, as they get into the "golden" years sometimes they can be worse than 2 year olds, stubborn and demanding (like my Mom). My Dad was easygoing and a pleasure to be with even in the end.  But you don't have a lot of time to really get to know them, I found out a lot about my Dad that year . 

At my Dad's memorial service I got to talk to some of the guys he served with in the Navy, they had remained friends all of the rest of their lives.  They told me some great stories about my Dad, things he never thought to tell us, maybe they weren't that memorable to him but his friends didn't forget. He is an unforgettable guy and I know that I'm not the only one that thought so. I am very lucky to have had such a wonderful person as my Dad.

Emerald the May Birthstone

This is the beginning of a series on birth stones, I hope you enjoy the series and will leave comments if you want info on other stones.

Spring is a time of new growth and rebirth.  And the intense brilliant green of
the Emerald, May’s birthstone, is as refreshing to the eyes as a spring garden after a rain.  Within it’s depths are often tiny fractures or inclusions, which the French call "jardin," or garden, because of their resemblance to foliage.
The Egyptians were known to engrave Emeralds with the symbol for foliage to represent eternal youth, and to bury these jewels with their dead.  The ancient Romans associated this gemstone with fertility and rebirth, and dedicated it to enus, the goddess of love and beauty.

The Ancient Egyptians mined Emeralds in the eastern desert region 2,000 years before Cleopatra’s birth, braving extreme heat, scorpions and snakes to search for the beautiful crystals.  During Cleopatra’s reign, she claimed the Emerald mines as her own, as this was her favorite gem.  She often wore lavish Emerald jewelry, and it is said that she bestowed visiting dignitaries with large
Emeralds carved with her likeness when they departed Egypt.   

The Emerald is a member of the beryl family of minerals.  The green crystals grow slowly within metamorphic rocks and are restricted in size by the rock, making large Emeralds rare and costly.  Although this gemstone is relatively hard and durable, it must be protected from blows because the inclusions found within make it susceptible to breaking. 

Some people believe that wearing an Emerald brings wisdom, growth, and patience. And as any couple in a long-term relationship would agree, all of these qualities are essential for a successful and lasting love.  This may explain why a gift of Emerald for an anniversary -- or anytime -- is considered symbolic of love and fidelity.

The Muzo mine in Colombia is the source of the most prized Emerald specimens. Other sources of Emeralds are Brazil, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Russia. 

Now that you know a little about Emeralds your appreciation of them may bloom like the flowers of spring.

Team Tuesday featuring Crafty Katie

Crafty Katie is a multi-talented artist and is my featured team member this week. Her Etsy store is CraftyKatie6. Her store features really cute Robot characters, there are some  personalities you will recognize.

Shown at the left is Rosie Robot, one of the great characters that Katie has created.

Katie also has sewing craft classes for kids. Her website is Sewing Crafts for Kids and is a member of the SOMA Artist Guild.

Check out her store and website.