It's Leap Day! What is it? Funny Facts!

source personalityhotels

Today is the "extra" day of this year, "Leap Year!"! I thought I would look up some facts and funny things concerning "Leap Year." In a nutshell, the Earth actually rotates about 365 and quarter times on its axis to complete a full year’s orbit around the sun. That means that periodically -- or every four years to be precise -- an extra day is needed to help balance things out. Apparently, the end of February seemed as good a place as any. And, according to most theories, we have Julius Caesar to thank for that. Who would of thought that someone that far back would have worried about days when saving your life was almost a daily worry???

source pixmule.com

"Leap" years usually take place during years divisible by four—but not always.???hmmm.... I don't remember it being different do you???  Because a solar year is a little less than 365.25 days, consistently adding an extra day to the calendar every four years wouldn't work. To account for this, years that are evenly divisible by 100 are never leap years unless they are also evenly divisible by 400. That means, for example, that 2000 was a leap year and 2400 will be, but 1900 was not and 2100 will not be. Crystal clear, right? well shoot I don't get to see any of that. :( too long and too early for my age!

source Kilban calendars

If you're birthday is today, first "Happy birthday to youuuuuu!" Second, so you don't feel quite so alone, according to TimeAndDate.com, other "leapers" or "leaplings" include Pope Paul III, born in 1468; Italian composer of William Tell and The Barber of Seville, Giocchini Rossini, born in 1792; American singer Dinah Shore, born in 1916; I remember her great voice---and rapper and actor Ja Rule, born in 1976.Wow...what a line up.

source DNAindia.com

In spite of its very practical reason for being, "Leap Year" has tickled the fancy of romantics around the world and through the ages.

• If you put stock in Irish legends, "Leap Year" came about due to a deal that St. Bridget struck with St. Patrick -- which was designed to allow women to propose to men every four years.
• In nearby Denmark, "Leap Year" folklore says that if a lady’s marriage proposal is turned down, the would-be groom owes her 12 pairs of gloves -- hmmm that's a lot of gloves--one pair for each month to hide her embarrassment over the lack of an engagement ring.Now that makes sense can't show that awful shame! 
• In modern-day America, "Leap Year" fables evolved into every teenage girl’s worst nightmare -- a Sadie Hawkins dance--wow that brings back fond memories-- in which girls invite boys to spend an uncomfortable evening in a crepe-paper covered gymnasium.
• Always the type to gravitate toward the happy ending, the Greeks recommend especially long engagements when a "Leap Year" approaches, believing it to be quite unlucky for couples to tie the knot during a "Leap Year." Could be???? Getting married on a "Leap Day" could set the wheels in motion for Oedipal-like[what???] tragedy. Now what does that mean??? I looked it up ewwww "sick puppy"and it means--- it was a mythical Greek King of Thebes. He fulfilled a prophecy that said he would kill his father and marry his mother, and thus brought disaster on his city and family. This legend has been retold in many versions. Not one I want to retell of course. :( Any who...no matter what this day means to you....

source clker.com

Winner!!!! "Random Acts of Kindness" from My Friends & Progress

I am making items for my stitching group's new members and part of the package includes magnets. These are the ones I made. I changed our logo a little to include other photos and names about crafting. We had started out as a Crochet/knitting group only, but have changed to "all crafters" in attract more members and also to learn other crafts. Most of us love crafting and want to learn more, and those that don't get to watch while they knit or crochet. It has been really successful and the membership is growing attracting lots of new fun crafting friends!! Next is the T-shirt with our logo, then finishing the business cards, each member gets 10, and then name badges, and then I order our official membership cards for discounts at local crafting stores. :) 

I was a winner of a "wacky" contest! the contest was "What's worse than This?" And I told a "true" not so happy evening event that happened to me awhile back.  I just received this cool package from "Heart's & Laserbeams" isn't it terrific 

Thank you so much!!!! 

robot note cards

cards with treats on the smartphone

even a cool bookmark

Another "Random act of Kindness" from one of my pen pals in Canada...she saw these cute Red Hat charms at a thrift store, bought them, & thought of me, 

and sent them to me!! 

Thank you Pauline...

Now who else has done some "RAK" lately???

Would you like to? There are lots of ways to show you care. Just think of someone you might want to show some "RAK" to and to something. 

So we just finished the back room...here is our progress..

these are the new stepping stones to the back door

 as you can see my new flower bed is a real charm to the area,
And if you look closely there's a yellow Daffodil peeking through in the far background of the bed. :)

 taken from standing in the doorway

and from the inside with the curtains up.

OK I have a kind of query???? 

What should I do with this really pretty and

lovely saying "Friendship & Family" plate? 

An old friend & I had linked back up with after 

22 years of absence. [we had a not so nice spat that ended in total silence]

We started talking again and she had sent me this for Christmas, 

after a year we were talking less

and less again [she lived in another state]

And then she blew up at me one day on the phone leaving

 a not so nice message about how we shouldn't be friends anymore????? 

And we ended our friendship once again. This time permanently. 

Then I remembered why we were not friends again...funny how time

sometimes clouds our memories of bad times and experiences with old lost friends???

Have any of you experienced this kind of thing??? Where you look up an old school chum, 

or maybe a long lost friend, only to find you really have nothing in common anymore

 and that you realize why you lost touch to begin with! Maybe one friendship 

that had ended bad, but you think, heck a lot of time has passed maybe we 

can rekindle what we once had and continue our once close friendship?

Here's my "query" should I hang the plate up or give it away to another 

friend? I mean I really like it but I am not friends with the giver anymore. Or should

I ignore that fact and just hang it up "remembrance" [is that a word?] of maybe why it 

had been given to me in the first place and enjoy the plate???

What do you all think??

The Shine Project "PIF"

I stumbled across a wonderful URL by a cute gal named Ashley! She has started "The Shine Project" 
It is a "PIF" [Pass It Forward]  plan, where you do something nice for someone,,anyone,,and give them a card and they do the same passing on the card. 

There is a website where you post on so you can go there and keep track of where the card goes...how great is that?  


In her words how it works:

Pass It Forward was designed to get people to do little things, everyday, that makes an impact on the community around them. Pass it Forward is designed around a card. Each card is given a unique ID number. Lets say you're at McDonalds, and decide to pay for the person behind you in the drive through. You'd give the cashier the card, and tell them to pass it along to the next car when they give them the food that has been paid for. You then go home and log into the website that was on the card, and find your unique ID number. You log into it, and add your information... your first name, city, and a description of what you did....

The person behind you would pass it forward to someone else, 

and then would go home and do the same thing.

From the very beginning, you will be able to track where your card goes, and how many people you affect just by doing one simple act of kindness.

(www.spreadtheshine.com)

Cards are available from her SHOP, portions of all proceeds go to the shine scholarship project, so you can feel good about your purchase.

Hop on over and get your cards today, and over at "Better After" you can enter a give away to win some "Shine" gifts!!!!

Changes in the Back Guest Room

We changed our Guest room, took out the window and put in a door. :) I think it turned out great. Now when guests stay they have their own way in and out. :) here is the "before" and lower is the "after"....

Before

my Freesias are blooming 

 I also have my flower bed ring done and we are going to add stepping stones out the door and around the ring.

Outside view

I finished my flower ring

After inside view

What to wear at the Beach and How to Tie a Scarf

I love the summer but not the bathing suit,  this is a pretty cool idea to wear ... Its called a Sarong....You can take any large piece of fabric, this can be 1 yard x 2 yarads or 5 yards total square, and a fancy or plain buckle [usually round with 2 slots] and have fun tying it around you......and then you ask, how should I tie it???? Well there are a lot of interesting ways to do it, it all depends on what you prefer...

And if you want to keep it simple, there are sarongs and pareos [is know also as a sarong [India] wraparound[USA] or a beach cover up] with no-fuss built-in ties.  A chiffon white or black sarong in half or full length is extremely attractive and easily matches your swim suits. Wrapped Beautifully has a wonderful URL on lots of "stuff" we all should read about. 

Learn How to wear a sarong. For more Fashion How-To Videos & Articles, visit WonderHowTo.

Now I love wearing scarves but never can get all those folds to lay right. This is a wonderful video as this gal shows you exactly how to tie any know and wear your scarves is many different ways...

Enjoy!

Valentine Surprises and Popcorn Marsh mellow Wreaths

So what did everyone do yesterday for Valentine's Day? I gave my hubby his chocolates and card and then he said here is yours and I walked into the kitchen and there was a beautiful large Calla Lilies plant and a beautiful loving card. :) I was beaning...I read the card and looked over my plant and he kept standing there after I gave him a big hug and kiss and smirking at me. I looked at him and said, "What?" he smiled and said ohhh I think there is something under the table, where we have a long table cloth. So I lifted up the table cloth and there it was!!! I was so shocked. 

It was a 21" flat panel computer screen. I have been wanting one for awhile now and when Blogger changed its format I was having problems with posting because my old flat panel was from 2001 and it was a 14" screen. I am a very happy gal now!!! The screen is so BIG that I feel like I am at the movies...lol...


Then he took me out to Red Robin for fish & chips... our favorite restaurant was having a problem..look....

IT seems someone hit a fire hydrant and it was everywhere. See the yellow building in the back? That is our restaurant...

This table was at the Roadhouse Grill where my Red Hats had their last event. It is really life like looking huh?

                                               


                                                            Popcorn Wreath

Ok and here is a project I found all you need is popcorn, of course, and a round Styrofoam ring, and some clear sealant spray to keep the popcorn from getting yucky, craft glue, a hot  glue gun and decorative ribbon in a festive color. Using a paint brush, brush craft glue on to the wreath ring. Then place popcorn all around the wreath ring. To add more layers of popcorn to the wreath use a hot glue gun and glue on additional pieces of popcorn on top of the first layer. 

A marshmallow one too make it HERE

I thought about it and wanted to make it, but I was going to change a bit for Easter or St Paddies Day....For Easter, how about spraying it light pink or blue and then adding a little bunnie figure as the base with a bow. I am going to make this and then post it after, and for St Paddies Day you could spray it green and add a 4 leaf clover. :) 


Can't you just envision it???