Just Pure Lovely

When Facebook is (Frustrating, Depressing, &OtherThings), there is Always Pinterest

I'm finding so much inspiration lately at a new site called Pinterest.  I know, I know, who needs another site to visit?  But - for me - a little less Facebook, and a lot more Pinterest is helping me find myself again.  That sounds pitifully dramatic, but it's the honest truth.  

On Facebook, I tend to think everything always goes so perfectly for everyone else, while my Calamity Jane (old, falling-apart van) made it home within feet of giving up, and everyday all the people in my house use half a dozen glasses each...and so the pity party is thrown.

On Pinterest, I don't think at all, really, but just click "pin it" when something looks pretty to me, or when a quote resonates with me, or when I want to remember an idea.  The pins go onto my bulletin boards, where the images inspire me yet again, and where I can click to tutorials.  Here are some of my pretty bulletin boards:

In other words, where Facebook depresses, Pinterest decompresses.  And that is why it's worth it. 

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p.s. If you find yourself tempted by Pinterest, connect with me so I can follow your boards, too!

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Maybe This will Help My Forgetfulness?

Forgive me for the formal-ish banner today.  I've spent the last half hour gleefully glee because I finally figured out how to do much more with banners in Photoshop.  (That Photoshop is a tough thing to self-learn!)  I may soften it up a bit, but it's nearly midnight, so the formal banner will stay for now...or until Christmas..or New Years or even Valentine's Day since I live in the South and it's perfectly acceptable here to leave your Christmas lights up for months, so why not a Christmasy banner, then?

While I'm here, let me tell you about a free site I saw featured in a recent issue of either Woman's Day (Womens'?) or Better Homes & Gardens...

Reqall, I think, is going to be a great servant to me.  Here's the Lori Version of how it works:

I call a phone number.

An automated voice says "hello," then asks something like, "Add? Recall?"

I say, "Add."

The voice says, "Add your item."  Or maybe it beeps.  I'm going from memory here.

I say, "Buy garbage bags."

Or, "Write a post about the free cookbook on Kindle."

Or, "January 18, 2010, 1:30pm, First drama club meeting."

I did all of the above today.

Then...Reqall organizes what I say (and keeps the recording so I can later hear myself say whatever I said!). 

I can go to Reqall.com to log in and view my organized lists.  My lists are: shopping list, to-do, "today", and others.

Or, I can patiently wait for my daily Memory Jog (I think this is a pro feature.  I'm on the free pro trial right now) to arrive via email.

Or, I can look at my Google Calendar, where magically I'll see anything that was filed by date (such as the January 18th drama meeting).

So.  I'm sure my version was quite confusing, so go to Reqall.com to check it out and maybe sign up, too (free!). 

I think this will be a big help to me as I'm forever thinking of things -- things to write, things to not forget, things to add to the grocery list -- when paper and pen aren't handy.  I frequently email or text myself, but this way I can have Reqall not only jot down my note, but organize it into lists. 

I've only used it for a few days now, but already like it enough to pass on to you.  Let me know what you think.

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Writer's Radio Shows This Week

Hi, there!  I'll post soon - I hope later "today" - but not now.  Right now, you'd get a slurred, misspelled, boring post...or, maybe not "boring," maybe hysterically silly.   It's 1:30am and I didn't intend to stay up so doggone late, but had to post a giveaway on Freely Educate (psst, check it out, will ya?).   While I'm here, I thought I'd pass on some information about a Writer's Radio Show. 

A Few Sites to Browse This Weekend...

My internet time is limited lately, since this is our Spring and it is way too gorgeous to not be outside.  I said to the kids today, "We absolutely must be outside all we can today for the sake of those who can't -- people at hospitals, people at school, people who work indoors, people in the frigid North."  And so we did.  We spent more hours out than in, at first with arithmetic and journals in hand, then with garden tools and toys, and finally with quilts and pillows.  You know that nice but deep fatigue you have after a day spent in the wind and sun?  I'm feeling that.

But before I crash with this chocolate milkshake my man just made for me (it's by my left elbow, waiting. jealous?), I wanted to share a few links for you to visit this weekend if you find some internet time.  I've only recently discovered these links, so I haven't had a chance to browse through their archives, but from the surfing I have done so far, they look like great places to go! 

The Nourishing Gourmet:  Recipes from whole foods...

Tia's Saving Cents:  I met Tia in Nashville and am so glad to have discovered her blog, where she'll find the good deals for me so I can just shop.

One Pretty Thing:  If you like crafty or creativity, you will love the daily finds on this blog.  Each day, several projects, often theme-based, are highlighted.

I'm off to enjoy my melting milkshake...

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Have a Dream of Being a Writer?

My friend Cindy Rushton is a speaker and author.  She just started a Writer's Radio Show, which you can listen to live every Thursday at 10am CST

10AM CST
Writer's Radio Show Recording LIVE!
Tune In Online: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Writers-Radio-Show/
OR! Call In! (646) 727-1339

The above is what you'll see when you click to tune in to The Writer's Radio Show at BlogTalkRadio.   Here are a few of my tips:

• Click on the iTunes button to easily add the show to iTunes as a (free) subscription. 
• Click on the grey titles to listen to past shows
• Click on Chat Now! when the show is live to chat with other listeners
• Click on the teeny white writing that says "Open in your default player" to open it up in one of your computer's players (like RealPlayer)
• Click on the teeny writing that says, "or in new window" to listen to the show in a tiny little window instead of the larger webpage (update:  this was only playing the archived shows and not the live show for me today)

Did you see where you can just call in to listen?  Here you go:  (646) 727-1339

Today's Show Details...

Join Cindy Rushton for our next Writer’s Radio Show! You are going to love this show! It is JUST FOR YOU! Today's Topic: So, What Do I DO Now? You know you want to be a writer, but what do you do now? How do you get started on the right track. OR, how to you get started AGAIN on the right track? Cindy will kick it off sharing some of her secrets to success as a writer. Then, she will open the lines for you to join in and and ask YOUR questions, introduce yourselves to one another, and pow-wow writer-to-writer. She has some fun gifts for those who join us live today. So, make plans to join us for the whole show. You will be inspired, encouraged, and equipped for your call as a Christian writer!

~ Lori

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Giveaway, Giveaway and Giveaway

Okay, listen up!  There's all sorts of giving going on right now.  It's the holiday season, after all! 

I have three giveaways to tell you about....

1.  Come back Monday to enter a giveaway I'm doing for a $30 giftcard to a well-known children's store.  I'm so very excited to have been given the opportunity to share that with someone!  I hope just the right person wins; someone who needs such a thing, or someone who will share it with someone who needs it.  So come back Monday and enter to win it for yourself or someone else!

2.  I extended the Handmade Holidays giveaway for two more days because:

• Sew Mama Sew asked us to do so, since there were so many entries
• My blog is second to last on the list.  That's a fine and dandy spot to be, but if someone is going through the list, they probably haven't gotten here yet and I don't want to disappoint them!  (I'm only halfway through the list, too)
• Because I don't want to post photos of the giveaway items and then not let you enter.  That wouldn't be nice. 

So, here you go.  The photos, finally, of what you will win when you enter the Handmade Holidays Giveaway (which you must enter on that post, not this one, please!)...

The bag and 5 handmade cards you can win are here...

The bag is reversible! 

The bag is little (about 5"x7" with a 4" bottom).  I nearly danced a jig when it stood up on its own, just as I hoped it would.

You can decide its uses...

You can view close-up photos of the cards by clicking the links below.  They aren't taken in good lighting (ie. midnight, under a lamp, in the garage studio), but I tried to make up for that by including photo notes to tell you how I made them (simply!):

• The one with the dangling flower
• The one with the dragonfly and pink circle
• "Happy Birthday"
• "True"
• "Happy" (the duck). This one's my favorite. 

Remember, you can still win these items, if you comment by 2:59pm (CST) Saturday, December 6th.  BUT, please comment at the original post, not here.

12/8/2008 Update:  We have a winner!  Go to the original post to see who won.

3. Giveaway #3:  My friend with the alpaca farm has a pretty blog called Alpaca Farm Girl.  She has TWELVE days of giveawaysgoing on, so you have a very good chance of winning!  She's giving away a $50 giftcard to Williams-Sonoma and an alpaca scarf kit among other fine things.  You enter now, and on December 13th, the drawings begin.  Take a look at the alpaca loot!  (yes, it's the same gal who owns the alpaca lovelies featured here in the fall).

I think that covers it!  Go enter (and come back Monday!)!

Let the Games Begin!

Is anyone else as insanely excited about the Olympics as I am?  I think it started when I was a kid living in a third world country.   Our family traveled for hours on a bumpy and cliff-defying drive over a half-paved half-dirt road - a road that in America would be lined with "caution" signs if not closed entirely for much needed repairs - to watch the Olympics on a small television in a crowded room full of other Americans, Europeans, New Zealanders and Australians.  I've never forgotten the goosebumps.

I can still remember watching Torvill and Dean clinch gold in ice-skating.  And I will never forget  Mary Lou Retton in another Olympics, scoring perfect 10s.  Remember those moments?

I'm not sure who I'm watching this year, except I know I'll be teary-eyed and patriotic every time an American makes it to the podium. And I know I'll be teary-eyed and patriotic every time the media does a life story on someone, no matter from what country, because they always seem to do life stories on the most amazing people (aren't we all?  amazing?) .  So then I find myself cheering that person on with all my might, even though I know the results are already in, since China is in a far away time zone. 

If you're as Olympics crazy as me, here are a couple of sites you'll need over the next 2 weeks:

The Official Beijing Site

NBC's Olympics Coverage Schedule (including many online videos)

~ Lori, who is about to get her two-year fill of television

Link: Making your Own Bermudas

I thought this was such a clever use of old blue jeans, that I have to share with you all!

UK Lass in US thought up how to make her own bermuda shorts and so kindly wrote a detailed tutorial complete with photos (two are below) for us to copy-cat her. 

Simple ideas just don't occur to me sometimes, so I just paid $15 for a pair of these at the store, when - sigh - I could have made them myself, complete with cutesy floral lining at the knees.

You want to make a pair, too? Here's the link!

Photoshop Actions for Free!

Do you Photoshop?   If so, you'll love knowing that Pioneer Woman put up (free!) Photoshop Actions on her photography website.  Here are the results of playing around with them for a few minutes......

This is the SOOC shot (Straight Out Of the Camera):

Fresh & Colorful Action:

Vintage Action:

Soft & Faded Action:

Black & White Beauty Action:

You can get the free actions here.  Oh, this is going to be a passle of fun! 

p.s. Did you catch that the American Idol finalists sang Shout to the Lord?  Surprising & beautiful.

Watercolor Painting

The other day I posted a photo of our little ones doing this in their own spontaneous painting session:

I love it when they paint.  Especially spontaneously. Today, I read of another way to paint with watercolors on Bella Dia's blog.  She did this with her kids:

Here is a link to a tutorial on how to make these pretty watercolor pictures.   Beautiful, aren't they? Inspiring, n'est-ce pas?  (...and that would be one of the 2 or possibly 3 things I can say in French)

Au revoir!