Tulip love...

Aren't they wonderful?

Easter always makes me think of tulips.

And 

now,

there are so many choices...

These "parrot" tulips were used at 

a wedding I covered years ago...

and I was fascinated by them.

I hope your weekend is filled with sunshine,

breezy warm weather,

and 

love...

smiles

Be inspired!

smiles.

I had plans...but....

all sorts of fun things to do....

but 

you know 

how life sometimes just 

doesn't go the way you'd planned?

Actually,

my plans had nothing to do with the photo

above...

But for those of you who have wondered if 

my sweetie made it back from China,

he did...

and he brought pearls! 

I will photograph them soon....

In the meantime,

 this is the Chinese version of my little car,

a Honda Fit, even the correct color,

(But my little car has no bumper stickers, and is not 

souped up like this one)

but that's not really the reason to show you this 

photo...

see the air (well, the pollution...)

remind you of LA in the 70's?

Sweetie said that you could

smell,

taste and feel the pollution 

in Shanghai. 

It was thick enough to make you feel sick.

And most young professional people that

he met, saw or observed smoked also...

Now what does this all have to do with

my plans?

I had just finished my first cup o' joe this morn...

and went down to the laundry room,

when I noticed a strange smell emanating 

from our downstairs bathroom....

a really bad, putrid smell....

So..

I peaked in, thinking someone had forgotten to flush,

and no,  the toilet and the bathtub were filled with 

sewage....

Now let me just say right here that I have an 

excellent nose as I have mentioned before

"a nose like a huntin' dog"

and my coffee was not sitting real well at this point.

Plumber called...

249 feet of snake down the clean-out line,

and problem solved...

except,

that someone had to clean all that up.

Where is Mr. Clean when I need him?

So, that is what I did today,

how about you?

sorry no smiles....

Some things are bitter sweet...

I think you all understand....

but 

I am taken by surprise 

by 

the

 intensity

 sometimes....

Dear Pam

at Frippery

had a giveaway....

I won.

Sweet!

But in the same post 

she stated that she might not be able to continue

with this wonderful blog

whose quote states

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sigh.....

now I know that daily posting is 

an incredible commitment.

I don't blame Pam a bit 

for feeling overwhelmed,

or over tasked,

or over committed,

That's easy to understand.

But,

I also want to say that 

I have learned so much....

merely, from reading her blog

that the thought of doing without.

Well, it makes me feel a little like 

a child who is at the end of the school

year with a favorite teacher.....

A little freaked out.....

I love sarcasm....

I love irony....

I love a well turned phrase....

Pam does all of this well.

LIke I said...

bittersweet....

believe me,

each time I look at my prize,

I will think of how her writing has made me laugh,

think, respond, and return.

Big Smiles Pam!

Green thursday

Green thursday, originally uploaded by ellenmr.

Isn't it funny.....

how you can be in a rush to do one thing....

and something totally out of left field...

distracts you?

Mainemomma-Kristen started a fun group on Flickr 

a week long color exercise....

I loved the idea, and wanted to participate...

but this was a week filled with dozens of tasks

LARGE & small...

I had very little time for fun....

But Green Thursday rolled around,

and I was determined to get something posted.

So as I sat at my desk and thought....

what is interesting and green?

There is was right in front of me....

I love unique pencils....

I love jars, bottles, pitchers, containers of pencils.

So there you are....

Made my day that anyone else thought 

that this spur of the moment shot 

had merit.....

smiles.