OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY - WINTER SCENES

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer is our host for Outdoor Wednesday. This time of year the photos are really spectacular. When you look at these ones click on the FULLSCREEN button at the top to see the pictures better. Remember there are multiple images to click through or you can choose to scroll through at the bottom. 
Christmas Blessings
Thanks for stopping by. Make sure to leave me a comment so I know you were here.

SANTA COLLECTION #45

This fellow is richly colored and about 7 inches tall. His beard has some sparkles in it too.

MOSAIC MONDAY - METAMORPHOSIS MONDAY - DECK THE HALLS -IS IT CHRISTMAS YET

I am combining two memes today because I wanted to do both. I know, I 'm a rebel but that is just how I roll. 
First we have Mosaic Monday. This is hosted by Mary @ Little Red House and then Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch. Oh I forgot about Deck the Halls with Susan @ Thoughts From Over the Rainbow. 

 

You will love all the different blogs out there that participate in these themes. Join in. Everyone is welcome, but please leave a comment here before you move on. 

Click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

I forgot to take a photo of the mantle before it was decorated so I am using this one from our friends surprise party last month.

Off came the Fall wreath and up went the fabric and ribbon. On top of that are the evergreen branches. A mix of ornaments, candles and topped with a pre-lit wreath and there is the metamorphosis. 

 

Then on to the tree. It is about 7 feet tall and artificial because I leave it up for over a month. 

I use white lights and a mix of ornaments all in shades of burgundy, copper, gold and cream. I use a minimal amount of thick gold tinsel. Just enough to make the tree shimmer. My lights have many settings but I keep them on fade where they fade in and out randomly again giving the tree some life. Looks great in person but is a pain to photograph.

 

Glad you stopped by. Make sure to visit the host blogs and all of the other participants. Oh ya, join in. Don't know how? Ask any of us because we are all happy to help.

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

I received this award from Lou @ The Quiet Life today. Lou is waaay down south in New Zealand but it always feels like she is so close by. She is a smart, fun woman and we have several things in common. Coffee, wine, books, delicious foods, okay not the going to school part but yes to all the rest.

I will spare you all my own list because I recently blabbed all about myself in  an earlier post. 

Anyway thanks to Lou for making me part of your circle. I think I will wait until after Christmas to send this one out to some pals. You already added Joanne and she for sure would be on my list. 

SUNDAY FAVORITES - ME WANT COOKIES

Joining in with Chari @ Happy to Design for Sunday Favorites. This is a repeat post from May 2009. You can join in too. Just republish one of your earlier posts that people may not have seen. Then go to Chari's site to link your post for everyone to find.

I just read in Saturday's paper that there is a doctor from Miami, Florida who has created a cookie that helps you lose weight. Before you get a speeding ticket heading to the Oreo aisle lets be clear this is no ordinary cookie. It is a cookie that costs $59 US for a weeks supply. For us Canadians it is about $5,000,000 if you get my drift. It is all the rage in Hollywood so we know it must be great, right?
These special little guys will curb your appetite due to the special proteins in them. You still have to be on a calorie reduced diet for success. My question is why don't you take the $240.00 a month you can save by not buying these and reward yourself with shopping, movies, manicures/pedicures, massages etc. as you lose weight with a regular low calorie diet. That could be one heck of an incentive I think.
Here are some more wonderful diet ideas that have come down the turnpikes in past years:

• 1757-Dutch physician, Malcolm Flemyng figured you could use soap as a cure for fat because he noticed it washed away fat and grease on his linens and dishes. He suggested eating or drinking it. Might I suggest a full bodied Palmolive with your grilled chicken.
• In the early 1900's Horace Fletcher was known as "The Great Masticator". How brilliant was this guy. With his plan you could eat anything you wanted. That is right you heard correctly, anything. You just couldn't swallow it. Chew and chew and chew for as long as you could and just swallow the juices and spit out what ever was left. I find this works especially well with wine. I chew and chew then swallow the juices. Whoops, nothing left to spit out.
  
• In the first half of the 20th century you could get a prescription for something called dinitophenol. This tasty treat would raise your body temperature and put you in a feverish state causing you to burn calories without doing anything. The fact that it could lead to blindness and death was a small price to pay for that size 4 body.
  

CHRISTMAS WREATH OR JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON

 I had to jump on the Christmas train to Craftsville yesterday. I saw these fabulous wreaths on several sites and within the hour I was at the local store buying some inexpensive ornaments to whip up a hostess gift for a party I am going to tonight.

Here is what I did:

1. Open up a wire clothes hanger but make sure it is a thin one or you will never be able to close this. You could also use some pliable wire that has a bit of weight to it. That would probably be easier.
   
   
   
2. Hot glue each and every bulb hanger back onto the bulb. Use plenty of glue. I chose to dip the metal hanger into the melted glue and then reattach it to the bulb. I held these hangers with needle nose pliers so as not to burn my fingers off. Do not skip this step or you will have to start over and that would suck. 
3. Simply string them on to the wire in a random pattern. Close up the wire and add a bow. 
4. You should use different sized bulbs so the gaps can fill in a bit. Not rocket science. Go for it.
   

I AM STUNNED AND ANGRY

Back in August of 2008 a lovely young woman who worked at the coffee shop we were going to at the time, along with another woman, a mother of 2 young children were killed while sitting in a local restaurant. Seven others were injured, one young boy, very seriously.

A man waited at the end of the parking lot row, revving his engine, for a car to finally leave the front of the restaurant. He then raced forward across the parking lot into the front of the restaurant and almost out the back of the building. 
He didn't know anyone in there. He didn't know the owners. He had no grudge against anyone in there. He says he was not suicidal. He just did it. 
He was found not criminally responsible for his actions due to a mental disorder. 
Well guess what. He is now getting out of the psychiatric hospital. The following is from our local news station Global B.C. 
Earlier this year, Irving was found not criminally responsible of two counts of criminal negligence causing death and seven counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm due to mental disorder.
Two psychiatrists testified during his trial that Irving was in a state of delirium caused by alcohol withdrawal and didn't know what he was doing when he slammed his truck into the Halu Sushi restaurant. When someone is found not criminally responsible it is up to the review board to determine their fate.
Irving will be released under the supervision of the director of adult forensic psychiatric services, he has to live where instructed by the director and report to a forensic psychiatric outpatient clinic at least once a week for monitoring, the review board stated.
He is banned from drinking alcohol and using weapons.

The review board didn't restrict Irving's ability to drive.

It is bad enough he is getting out but the kicker is that the psychiatrist was against letting him go. 

The British Columbia Review Board made the decision this week to release Irving, going against recommendations of a B.C. psychiatrist who recommended that Irving stay in hospital. 

Now what just happened in Washington State with the man Huckabee released? Four dead? What is wrong with these boards? Ask the psychiatrist his opinion and then do what you want anyways?  
Let me make this clear that this is not about forgiveness. This is about going against the professional opinion of a psychiatrist and allowing him too many freedoms. He is not well. We are not safe.

The family of Maija Liisa Corbett is upset by this turn of events and Hyeshim Oh's must be so distraught with this news. I know I am.  

SANTA COLLECTION #44

This ceramic Santa is 8" tall. The colors are really vivid. He has a big bag on his back full of toys.