Monday's Manicure

Hello Beautiful! 

Today's mani is a complimentary combo.

Nude and pale green. YUM!

Brought to by:

Essie - Spin the Bottle

and

Julie G - Tahiti

Enjoy the week!

Quips, Quotes and A Bucket List

Hello my little fluer-de-lys!

I have always loved this quote by Audrey Hepburn, and I think that

she had to be right. Springtime in Paris is something that I am sure I will do

one day.  So I added it to my bucket list. 

I know that a second trip to Paris in this life time is a stretch dream, 

and there are a lot of things that 

I will do before that happens. 

But isn't it the stretch dreams that make us achieve

so much more in life?

What about you?

Do you have a stretch dream?

A Sweet Saturday Spent with Sweet-Stops

Okay, consider yourself warned.

Lots of pictures and lots of fun! 

Last Saturday I was invited to photograph the Spring

Sweet-Stops Spring Craft Event. 

Here is the whole group... about 50 ladies participated.

Oh... and P.S. note the views in the background

These are actually the ladies of Sweet-Stops

Cindy Leech, Lin Sue Cooney and Debi Rigg 

Amazing event planners!

Using a 50's theme, they took a concept and ran with it!

Sweet-Stops

The caterers

Jill Denny and Barbara Korona (Debi's mom)

The bartender, Jim Rigg, (Debi's Husband)

Lots of the ladies dressed in 50's or 60's style. 

A Vintage hanbag... Darling!

A modern twist on on a classic BLT. 

Turkey, Avocado, Bacon and Tomato

Fruit juices with Sparkling Cider

A Coke with a view?

Oh, yes! And there is always a boutique for some shopping.

And then the project. Lots of room to work.

This was an open air patio on the 14th floor.

A mother/daughter team....

A couple of the finished projects. LOVE the dots

So cute.... right?!

That's Mercedes from The Tattered Nest

LOVE her store!!!

 We used her paint.

It was held in the Penthouse of The Phoenix Towers.

Recently remodeled and originally built in 1957, it was the perfect location!

If you would like to see all of the pictures that I took, or you 

would like to know about the next event, go to the Sweet-Stops Facebook page

and like it. You'll be able to see everything that will be going on. 

I'll be joining;

My Romantic Home

The Charm of Home

French Country Cottage
Rooted In Thyme

Garden Variety Rose

Well! Hello there. 

Happy to see you.

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

So, I came home from work for lunch and got it into my head that I needed to 

pick some of my roses. Almost all of them were full bloom. No buds. Isn't that

odd? I think it was because it was the middle of the day maybe...

Anyway, they made my day and I just couldn't pass the photo opportunity up. 

Just thought I would share. :)

Monday's Manicure

Hello Darlings!

Zoya - Wendi

A lovely pinky coral. 

Sorry I've been MIA. I do have a 

fun post to share later this week.

Till then...

Monday's Manicure

Hey there!

Super quick update on the weekly mani. :) 

Brought to you by OPI  2 coats of My Vampire is Buff

2 coats of Who Needs a Prince (for a gasoline finish)

And then finally Sugar Rush by Milani on my ring finger.

Love that stuff! It's like fun-fetti!

I'm Staring to new summer reads.....

Yes.... I picked them both based on their cover! (oh, the shame)

From the back of the book:

Three women’s lives are about to change because of a few delicate pieces of china...When Jenny Davis comes across a beautiful vintage tea set at an outdoor market in the English countryside, she’s convinced it’s fate. A young bride on a budget, she has her heart set on a vintage tea-party theme for her wedding—and the gorgeous gold-rimmed china before her is perfect. There’s only one problem. Two other women have fallen in love with it, too. So they come up with a solution: They’ll share it.

They establish a sisterhood, sharing the ups and downs of their lives—from broken hearts and weddings, to family drama and career dreams. When a figure from Jenny’s past threatens to ruin her big day, Alison’s teenage daughter pushes her to the limit, and Maggie’s romantic life is thrown into turmoil, the members of the Vintage Teacup Club band together—proving their newfound friendship will last a lifetime.

AND

From the back of the book:

Brokenhearted and still mourning the loss of her husband, Heidi travels with Abbott, her obsessive-compulsive seven-year-old son, and Charlotte, her jaded sixteen-year-old niece, to the small village of Puyloubier in the south of France, where a crumbling stone house may be responsible for mending hearts since before World War II.

There, Charlotte confesses a shocking secret, and Heidi learns the truth about her mother’s “lost summer” when Heidi was a child. As three generations collide with one another, with the neighbor who seems to know all of their family skeletons, and with an enigmatic Frenchman, Heidi, Charlotte, and Abbot journey through love, loss, and healing amid the vineyards, warm winds and delicious food of Provence. Can the magic of the house heal Heidi’s heart, too?

Have you started your summer reading list? 

Do share!

Tattoos on the Heart ....

The Power of Boundless Compassion

By Gregory Boyle

I JUST finished reading this book and I had to share it with you!

I would consider this a must read for anybody. Adult that is.

Caution: This is a compilation of real stories about gang members and their lives.

The language is real and rough. If you are easily offended, this book is not for 

you. But if you interested in hearing how one man is making a big difference

in a real way, this book is for you! 

Father Gregory will make you re-think and re-define your definitions of

 success, failure, forgiveness, compassion, and hope.  He reminds us that

these are all deep wells that God wants us to draw from when we are 

internally (as well as externally) judging the worth of another Soul on this planet. 

Further, Father Doyle reminds us that whether you are a nurse in an ER or a homie from the hood,

 He will use you right where you are and just as you are!

But don't think this is all heavy spiritual reading... It is not.

I laughed as much as I cried. Humor abounds in his skilled story telling. 

The same, but different: I would compare this to Ann Voskamp's 

Best Seller "One Thousand Gifts" , only much grittier. 

From the Back of the book:

“Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” ( Los Angeles Times )— Tattoos on the Heart is a series of parables about kinship and redemption from pastor, activist, and renowned speaker, Father Gregory Boyle—now in paperback.

For twenty years, Father Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles—also known as the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he has distilled his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.

From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JC Penney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Pipi we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Lulu we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the dark—as Father Boyle phrases it, we can only shine a flashlight on a light switch in a darkened room.

This is a motivating look at how to stay faithful in spite of failure, how to meet the world with a loving heart, and how to conquer shame with boundless, restorative love.

Winner of the 2011 PEN Center USA Literary Award for Creative Nonfiction

 This was a GOOD book! 

You should read it!

The Barista's Blanket a.k.a. The Little Beige Afghan

hello

my lovelies! 

It's almost the weekend. Are you so happy? 

I am. 

I've been working and working on my little beige afghan. 

Isn't that the worst name? 

I decided it should be called the Barista's Blanket.

Black Coffee

This was so obvious. Right?

Coffee with Cream

Are ya with me?

Are ya picking up what I'm laying down?

and finally the Latte' of course!

uh ....Duh!

Hopefully, Sunday I'll have more for you.

Enjoy your Friday!