THINK SPRING!

 

Greetings all! Although it is currenty raining cats and dogs here, I stayed home today and began replacing my winter decorations in my home with my spring decor! THINK SPRING!!!!!! ...

My small handmade spring wreath.

And, last but not least, an awseome pic of  "Moose," a Cadbury Photo Contest  Try-outs applicant (courtesy of my friend Renee Nichole) ...

A special post dedicated to (someone who knows who they are) ...

Davy Jones' take on his singing and other talents ...

https://youtu.be/AnO3uxVSzUc

... I hope you enjoyed this, CJ!!

Throwback Thursday

Happy Thursday everyone! So far (fingers crossed!) we have had three nice, sunny days here this week. Holding my breath for next week's weather because my husband has to travel to New Jersey for a week due to yet more work training.

Not much else really happening - nothing too exciting. Last weekend, while my mom and I were doing our usual "shopping" I found this cool little cosmic rubik's cube toy.

)o(     )o(     )o(     )o(     )o(     )o(     )o(     )o(     )o(     )o(

On Monday, we had another bad snow storm as was predicted and so my lunch plans with my sister Aurora at Flanagan's Pub had to be cancelled and rescheduled for Tuesday. Here are some pics from our lunch ...

My lovely birthday gifts from Aurora - a mermaid tail night light, Dragon's Blood Incense sticks, Feng Shui Incense Kit, a cute mermaid tail keychain, and an awesome scented candle called "Waterfall" ...

Posing for a quick pic with Chris Flanagan ...

My lunch was Flanny's Steak and Eggs Special ...

And, a crock of Creamy Italian Noodle soup - YUM!

My drink? Mermaid Water of course!

Then, my husband met me there for dinner later on that day. The mermaid necklaces were from both Aurora (the blue and silver one) and Brett (the gold and silver with pearl) ...

Have a blessed day all!

Birthday Weekend (Pt. 2)

Happy Sunday evening, my friends! First of all, I want to give a huge SHOUT OUT of sincere THANKS to everyone who wished me a very Happy Birthday! - you are THE BEST!

Yesterday, my sister Aurora Skye and I had a wonderful lunch at our local Applebees ....

Boneless chicken wings and a delicious tomato basil soup! ...

Along with a sweet birthday drink called a Blue Hawaiian ...

And for dessert, special gourmet birthday cookies!

Of course, I could not resist spending a little time with Aurora's fur baby, Pumpkin! LOVE those extra toes!!! 

I spent today with my mom and then earlier this evening, we enjoyed a special birthday dinner with my friend, Deb at P.J. Whilehan's Pub ...

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Mom 'n' me.

My birthday gifts from Deb - two lovely mermaid statues, a cool pair of socks, and she and mom both treated me do a nice dinner as well ...

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Tomorrow WEATHER PERMITTING, Aurora, her hubby, and I have reservations for an early dinner at Flanagan's Pub! I am off tomorrow and Tuesday then  go back to work on Wednesday - more time to spend with my fur babies ...

Leo and Ginger keeping warm (and yes, the glowing eyes to the back left belong to Butterscotch and Lady Tabitha).

Have a blessed evening everyone!!

Fun Saturday song and a birthday weekend (Pt. 1)

Happy Saturday everyone! This weekend will be a busy one.  It is my birthday weekend - actually, my birthday isn't until this Tuesday, but who is counting? 💜

Is anyone interested?

Greetings everyone! I am considering holding a giveaway for my newest mermaid bottle creation. If anyone is interested, please leave a comment to this post. Thank you.

Happy Valentine's Day

The Monkees ~ "Sometime in the Morning"

The Monkees ~ "You Just May Be The One"

https://youtu.be/IGYaP3Yy10s

Wishing everyone a sweet day!!

Saturday this and that

Greetings all! Well, it is Valentine's Day weekend as this year the holiday falls on a Sunday. When I came home from work last night, there was a pretty big REAL rose encased inside a heart-shaped glass globe. It was from my husband who told me he thought he would give it to me a couple of days early so that I can enjoy it longer - although I will probably leave it displayed on my living room coffee table for a good while anyway.

 And since Valentine's Day, as is with most contemporary holidays which we celebrate today, has a very unique history I have decided to re-publish one of my older posts explaining how this holiday and traditions evolved into what we celebrate today ...

What's in a Holiday?: Lupercalia

I have always been fascinated by our holiday traditions and where they actually came from. St. Valentine’s Day, as with so many of the contemporary holidays which we, as Americans, celebrate today, has its’ beginnings in Paganism. In ancient Rome, a Pagan fertility and purification festival called Lupercalia, was celebrated. Lupercalia is uniquely Roman and was named after the fertility god Lupercus, protector of flocks against wolves. In fact, he was often identified with the gods Pan and Faunus.

Lupercalia was an important festival and historical records indicate that Mark Antony was Master of the Luperci College of Priests. In the year 44BC,, he chose the Lupercalia festival as the proper time to offer the crown to Julius Caesar. Since February occurred later on the ancient calendar than it does today, Lupercalia was held in the spring. Each year on February 15, the Luperci priests gathered on Palatine Hill at the cave of Lupercal. Young men wore their loincloths and led the priests around the pomerium, the sacred boundary of the ancient city, and around the base of the hills of Rome.

Long after Palatine became the center of the powerful city, state and empire of Rome, the Lupercalia festival lived on. Roman armies took the Lupercalia customs with them as they invaded France and Britain. One of these customs was a lottery where the names of available maidens were placed in a box and then drawn by the young men. Each man accepted the girl whose name he drew as his love for the duration of the festival, which lasted from February 13^th to the 15^th, sometimes longer.

Circa 289AD, a Christian named Valentine of Rome was martyred under the Emperor Claudius. Valentine was a bishop in the city who was arrested for giving aid to prisoners. While in prison, he was said to have converted his jailer by healing the man’s blind daughters’ sight. He then fell in love with her and from his death row cell, he wrote her a note signed, “From Your Valentine.”

Somewhere around 197AD, Christianity began to slowly do away with the Pagan pantheons. It frequently replaced the festivals of the Pagan gods with its’ own modern celebrations to fit the life and teachings of Christ. Lupercalia, with its’ lover lottery, had no place in the new order. In the year 496AD, Pope Gelasius did away with the festival of Lupercalia, citing it as Pagan and immoral. He chose Valentine as the Patron Saint of lovers who would be honored at the new festival on February 14^th.

It is believed that the very first valentine cards were the slips of paper bearing the names of maidens the early Romans first drew. Or, perhaps the note which Valentine passed to his sweetheart from his prison cell.

By the 17^th century; however, handmade cards became quite elaborate and pre-fabricated ones were only for the wealthy. In 1797, a British publisher issued, “The Young Man’s Valentine Writer,” which contained suggested sentimental literature for the young lover. Today, the St. Valentine’s Day traditions continue with the giving of chocolates, jewelry and flowers. An estimated 1 billion St. Valentine’s Day cards will be sent worldwide, making it the second most celebrated holiday after Christmas.

💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

And, last but not least, I found a pretty cool recipe for a DIY mermaid scrub. It is simple and easy to make. The directions are as follows:

YOU WILL NEED:

One small jar, blue food coloring, 1 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup cold pressed coconut oil (refined), 5-7 drops of pure essential lavender oil.

In a bowl add the sugar, food coloring, coconut oil, lavender oil and mix well. Pour into the jar and  DONE!