Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?

Ok...not really!  But, I have found a very cool online trip map - that's completely free - where I can track all the places I've visited & keep track of places I want to go!

So...looking at my map, I've really got to get out of the South :)  While I do looove the South, I'm hoping to visit the West, the North & the East...as in across the Atlantic.  What does your travel map look like? :)

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Cotton Candy Mohair

Every once in a while, God gives me an idea project that actually turns out amazingly beautiful & on Saturday morning, I woke up with just such an idea in mind.  I found out on Thursday that my new friend's birthday was on Friday & of course, I had no idea what to get her.  She has expressed interest in learning how to crochet & knit so I was thinking that something handmade would mean alot to her...but what on earth can you make in 1 day???

The idea I woke up with was for a pale pink shawl made out of mohair yarn with tiny beads throughout - quite a tall order for a Saturday, don't ya think!?!  Well, I got up early Saturday morning & headed straight to my favorite specialty yarn shop - as I walked in, I immediately saw the most perfect yarn for my project!  It was a mohair/silk blend from Italy in the most gorgeous shade of pale pink - now keep in mind that I have NEVER worked with mohair before & had no idea how easy or difficult it would be to knit.  Come to find out, mohair is very easy to work with...much better than those faux fur yarns - the natural quality of the yarn is amazingly soft, durable & a breeze to knit with!

Of course, before I went to the yarn shop, I stopped by Michael's to find a suitable gift box for my spectacular undertaking...here's what I found :)  It was perfect!

I decided to use a prayer shawl pattern that I have made exactly once before...but it turned out quite well & only took me 6 hours the first time.  It started small...as most projects do...see the little sparkly beads???

Although this project took quite a bit longer that my first shawl - 12 hours to be exact - it was so worth it!  The yarn is lace weight & I ended up using size 11 needles to make it extra airy.  There was no rhyme or reason to the beads, I just placed them wherever I thought they should be :)  So, after 12 long hours of knitting, here is the gorgeous finished product...I must say that I'm quite proud of it!  It's so light that it could be a cotton candy cloud :)

Close-up of bead work...can you see them?

All folded up in the box w/pink & white tissue paper



My lovely friend all wrapped up in her cotton candy mohair shawl :)

I'm still in awe at how well this project turned out & how quickly the knitting went...I will definitely be making more of these!  Who knows, maybe I'll get a few buyers :)

Rhythm & Blues

Sometimes I forget how much I truly love blues music...that is, until I run across something that reminds me!  While channel surfing, I landed on VH1CR &literally caught the last 7 minutes of the Blues Brothers - which just happens to be my favorite movie of all time.  I have most definitely lost count of how many times I've seen said movie & will never turn down an opportunity to watch it again & again :) 

To say that those few minutes made my night would not be far fetched, but what came after was even better.  The movie was followed by 2 music videos - the 1st one was a live performance of Bill Withers singing No Sunshine (dear Lord, that man could sing!); the 2nd one was a compelation video of James Brown singing Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.

No matter how much music I hear in my life, thanks to my Dad, I always find great joy & comfort from blues music (thus the 'bluesy' in my blog's name).  One of the first movies I ever remember watching with my Dad as a child was the Blues Brothers; it is seriously difficult to find better music than in that movie.

 Don't get me wrong, I love new music & have been fortunate enough to hear some amazing local talent here in Atlanta that rivals anything you hear on the radio today...but, ryhthm & blues will always be my first love.

Cuppa Cake Passion

I'm a baker...what can I say...I love cupcakes!!!  My passion for cupcakes goes way back before everyone else was obsessed with them...and it has never waned for one second :)

That being said, during the summer months I always seem to lose my drive to cook & bake.  I assume this is due to the crazy hot weather here in Atlanta, but nevertheless it happens.  I am happy to report that I cooked for the first time in over a month yesterday...and today I've got CUPCAKES in the oven!

I had some leftover lemon buttercream in the freezer that I've mixed with some of my homemade strawberry drizzle (half-way between jelly & jam) and it tastes sooo yummy!  I'm pairing it with vanilla bean cupcakes & this combo is sure to be a winner!  (Side note: while browsing at Home Goods one day, I found a bottle of Vanilla Bean paste - 1 Tbsp=1vanilla bean.  I added almost a Tbsp to a white cake mix to get vanillas bean cupcakes.)

I'm so glad that the folks I work with love my cupcakes - this allows me to get my baking fix & not have a whole heap-o-cuppa-cakes sitting around the house.

********************************************************************

Cupcakes baked - check

Frosting whipped - check

Cupcakes frosted - check

Cupcake enjoyed - DOUBLE CHECK!

Look at my pretty pink little soldiers...aren't they just adorable!!!

PAID IN FULL!

As of today, I have finally accomplished a goal that has only eluded me until now...the last payment on my car loan was made TODAY!  I've never had a loan long enough to pay it off; I always traded in & up - which put me in more debt.  And then there was that one time where I totalled my car & my insurance paid it off...but then I went right back in debt when I purchased another car.

I'm almost in shock to think that I actually own my car!  I can't wait to get the title in my hot little hands...maybe I'll frame it :)

With the final puzzle piece in place, this is a definite goal to mark off my list...and it feels sooo wonderful!

An instrument to be used

This morning, I had the wonderful opportunity to follow a prompting of the Lord to be a blessing to a random family of sweet strangers. 

I woke up this morning with the thought of heading to my favorite park for a walk since the weather was quite cool due to the rain we had yesterday & early this morning.  Just as I got there, it started to mist & eventually rain so I was only able to walk about a mile before I was forced back to my car.

Since I was hungry, breakfast was on the agenda...and IHOP is my most favorite breakfast spot!  After I was seated, the sweetest little family was seated next to me.  I could not believe what great parents they were to their little boy - who kept asking for macaroni for breakfast :)  They were calm, patient & even made him laugh...all the while helping him choose a more appropriate breakfast item than macaroni.

As I sat there eavesdropping, I was compelled to perform a random act of kindness for this sweet family who made my morning.  Luckily, we had the same server so I quietly asked her for their bill & told her their breakfast was on me.  I'm so thankful that God not only asked me to be a blessing to this family, but also that He has given me the means by which to do so.

Dis-APP-ointed

After 4 months of waiting for the new Toshiba Thrive tablet to make its debut, I finally had the opportunity to make my purchase this afternoon.  You know that feeling you get when you visit a new bakery, order an incredibly gorgeous piece of cake, dig in to take your first (what's sure to be amazing) bite...and then...your taste buds suddenly revolt as the taste of the cake pales in comparison to your mouth's expectation?

I'm sad to report that after a couple of hours playing around with the Thrive that I have almost the same shocking taste in my mouth as that terrible piece of cake...and this is almost enough to make me want to shed a small tear :(  I have been looking so forward to the day I would be able to bring this little technological baby home with me that I'm quite unsure what to think now...except, maybe the iPad2 is for me.

The Thrive has a most impressive list of hardware features that I was really excited about...in addition to the ability to run Flash websites, it seemed like a no-brainer.  However, after a small bit of experience, this is what I've discovered:

1 - very slow to download & install apps from the Android Market; a few of them literally took over 10min, then wouldn't open, and had to be redownloaded & installed
2 - seems to only pick up 1/2 the wifi signal that my laptop picks up while being the exact same distance away from the router
3 - no Netflix streaming - either through the Android app or through the Netflix website
4 - scrolling through webpages is not near as smooth as my iPhone4
5 - no "home" button - when the screen locks, you must click the power button on the top/side of the device, which is a bit awkward to click each time
6 - terrible Android game apps - I downloaded a word search app & it literally took up only 1/4 of the screen, showed up at the very top of the screen, was hard to see, and since the font could not be changed, had tee-tiny print...definite fail!

Even after all of the research I've done, there is nothing better than testing devices for yourself to see which ones feel the most natural...so I guess all of this brings me to one conclusion...I must be an Apple girl.  While I never set out to become one of "those" people, it's happened!  Now the only decision left to make is whether or not I think I need an iPad2 or if I think I can do everything on my iPhone.  One of the biggest reasons I was looking at a tablet in the first place was to use as a multi-app e-reader.  I enjoy reading from Kobo, Nook, iBooks & even Kindle....all of which are apps on my iPhone, but having a tablet device just makes the pages a little bigger & allows a fuller news page reading environment as well.

So, now I'm going to bed...feeling very dis-app-ointed...and wondering if I'll bring home a new iPad2 tomorrow to fill my sweet tooth that has yet to be satisfied.  Tomorrow is open for discussion...and hopefully, a better day in my world of technology.  Until then, I leave you with sweet iPad dreams :)

Social Media Fast

The day I left for vacation (Friday, July 1st), I decided to take a break from social media to truly enjoy my vacation without any distractions.  While I contstantly fought the urge to tap my Facebook app, post check-ins at each touristy spot I visited, post all the pics I'd taken each day & of course, check out all of the updates from my 467 friends...I am quite proud to say that I did not check Facebook for an entire 6 days!

This in & of itself is quite a feat for me...and one that I would like to implement on a more permanent basis.  I hate to admit it, but I'm quite addicted to social media...and am trying desperately to kick my habit :)  Upon returning from vacation, I also saw that my good friend, Rachel, decided to do the same thing & even blogged about it!  Reading her blog was like deja vu to the thoughts in my brain from the previous week; it also helps to know that I'm not alone in my quest to focus more on actual relationships & not so much virtual ones.  (Totally off subject, but Rachel's blog mostly centers around CAKE & is always a highlight in my week...you should definitely check it out!)

While I have checked FB a couple of times since Wednesday, it's been less than once per day...which is a huge step in the right direction.  The most alarming thing I've noticed is how much I think about it when I'm not checking it...meaning that I spend WAY TOO MUCH TIME on FB!  Trying to reroute this time to spend it on other things is quite the challenge since I am most definitely a creature of habit.  I find myself staring at the screen of my laptop thinking...I wonder if I have any updates?  I can't even tell you how many times this thought has crossed my mind today...and yes, I'm embarrassed to report that I have checked FB 3 times today.

My plan is to maybe check it once a week or less...I've really got to use my time to do more important things...like, well, my least favorite chore...cleaning...ugh.  Although I hate it, it's super necessary!  I shudder to think of the cumlative time I've spent each day on that website...it's quite alarming.

So, goodbye FB!!!!

It was the best of times...it was the worst of times

Let's start with the best of times, shall we?

My trip to DC with my beautiful niece could not have been any better!  We had a most wonderful time, saw many amazing things and walked between 8 & 10 miles in 2.5 days!  We rolled into town Sunday at noon, drove around the city for a bit & then checked into our hotel early - big plus!  We stayed at the State Plaza Hotel just inside the campus of George Washington University and man-oh-man was it lovely!  The entire hotel is made up of suites, each having its own kitchen...this was most definitely one of our favorite features.  We also discovered that there was a CVS right next door so we came to love this store & all of its edible bounty :)  This allowed us to enjoy the city by day & then relax with an easy dinner & a movie in bed by night.

Some of the amazing places we went:
Mount Vernon
Museum of Natural History
Museum of American History
Holocaust Museum
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument
Vietnam Memorial
National Archives
Library of Congress
Capitol Building
Arlington National Cemetary

A few of our favorite highlights:
1 - the Hall of Remembrance at the Holocaust Museum

2 - seeing the original documents of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights & the Constitution at the National Archives

3 - watching the fireworks from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking toward the Washington Monument

This was most definitely the trip of a lifetime, although I do hope to return for another visit someday.  I learned many wonderful things & was blessed enough to be able to share them with my niece :)  To see all my pics, click here.


Now for the wost of times...

On the way back home, I received a call from my mother informing me that my god-father, who has always been like a grand-father to me, had suffered a severe heart attack on the 4th & died.  This bit of news is altogether confusing considering he's never really had any medical issues, much less heart problems.  I have since found out that my god-mother, his wife of over 50 years, was with him when the attack happened.  I could not even begin to imagine what this must have been like for her...watching the man you've shared your entire adult life with die right in front of you...heart breaking to say the least.

So, instead of heading back to Atlanta yesterday, I'm still in NC...since the funeral is not until Saturday morning, I'll be here awaiting that unhappy day.  While I'm certainly glad that I was in NC & not GA when I got the news, I really missing being home...especially my bed & my cats.  I decided to leave some extra food for the kitties before I left my house...I'm now thanking God that I did.  Getting back to my home & routine if often one of my favorite parts of going on vacation...this terrible news has thrown a money wrench in my plans so my body is having to readjust.  Let's just hope I can hang on till I get home...

We'll miss you Papa Larry :(