Happy New Year!

Well the holidays are just about over and the New Year brings uncertainty and hope. We are all uncertain about the economy and hope for a brighter future.

The New Year is also a time for reflection. Every day the newspaper is full of this year's historical moments and important people that we have lost. But the New Year is also about accomplishments. I feel great that I have learned so much this year from people that I have met through the internet. Who would've thought??? I now have a successful on line store and continue to be amazed at what I learn on a daily basis to keep me on page one of google under murano jewelry. It's hard work - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

The New Year is also a time for resolutions. I think I will resolve to continue to grow in knowledge, live life to its fullest, travel more, love more, believe more and of course the usual "lose weight".

I wish you all a wonderful, spiritual, brighter New Year!

Sandi

Miche Bag - Designer handbag new colour range as advertised on TV

Go to http://www.whateveraccessories.com to order your Miche Bag.

Gift Cards: Beware This Holiday Season

This was sent to me last week and I wanted to pass along the info to all of my readers. With the economy as it is, it would be wise for anyone to do their homework before purchasing gift cards this holiday season.

This is a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards
around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be
honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after
Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though
the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them
from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy
Planning". Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be
cautious about.


Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores mo re to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stor~s
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Loews to close down some stores
Dillard's to close some stores

Hope you will consider doing some on-line shopping and maybe make a purchase at WhatEver Accessories.

Little Voices

And, the little voices have been yelling at me lately -"YOU NEED TO REORGANIZE!"

We've been talking about moving rooms around and just talking about it caused me to become more unorganized as the weeks went by. Before you knew it, I was overwhelmed with notes, clutter and whatever. You know I was actually feeling "anxious" as I became more and more buried in notes and not knowing what I wanted to do with the information and I think as a result of that my office was becoming cluttered too. Whew! I needed to tackle this before it got out of hand.

And, after this weekend I'm happy to say my office has been moved to a bigger room. I cleaned out old files and "stuff" that just wasn't needed anymore. I feel renewed!

Unfortunately, I now have 2 more rooms to get in order after the office move. But you know it's a great way to clean out that stuff that just accumulates and you wonder why you were saving it in the first place.

So I feel renewed and glad those little voices were telling me to change things up a bit. I have a new spacious office and ready to move on to the next rooms.

Do you do whatever little voices tell you to do?

One Bag, Endless Possibilities

Let me introduce you to the newest item in my store, the Miche Bag. I'm so excited about this new handbag. Just think...you can travel and take a handbag for every outfit with just the change of an outer shell and it doesn't take up anymore space in your luggage than a pair of pants. And, I can't tell you how roomy this handbag is for all my purse clutter. You'll love the look of this stylish and classy bag. Just think of the closet space you will save!

New shells and designs will continue to come in so be sure to visit Whatever often for updates.

Is This The Time For Craft Shows?

An interesting question. I think you will find when the economy is slow, the craft show attendee is looking for authentic home made products over mass produced ones. If you are a crafter, I truly believe this is the time to hit the road and display and sell your products at local craft fairs/shows. There are a lot of great resources available to help you become successful at craft shows.

Here are a few that I suggest:

Click Here! For secrets to sell your jewelry (or any craft) at Craft Shows
Click Here! For information on Fairs & Festival Vendor Calendar


If you still are not sure, start out slow. My first craft show was with a few neighbors that got together and made one of the homes a Holiday Craft Show. It was "wildly" successful! In today's economy, be wise! Check out the resources and craft your way to success!

Portland Maine Lighthouses

We decided since we are so close to Maine (only 70 miles away) we should take a little day drive over to Portland. We've been through Portland many times but have never stopped along the riverfront to see what is there. It was really a quaint area with great shops and of course cruises. So we chose the lighthouse cruise and saw at least seven light houses on our 1-1/2 hour tour. It was another beautiful day making this cruise a great choice. We stopped to eat at Gilbert's Chowder House and it was FANTASTIC! We both enjoyed a cup of clam chowder and a lobster roll that was packed with lobster.

Is It Fantasy?

You know, I've been traveling around the New England states for at least 10 years. I've been to every state that claims they have this creature called a "moose" along the east coast and have yet to see a real moose. Now, I have seen sculptures out of wood, metal and even plush ones as in the picture below. But, I have never seen a real one. We hit a couple of art shows this week and when I saw photos of a moose, I would ask the photographer, "where do you find this "mythical" creature." They always laugh and say "Oh, they are there!" WHERE?

It has become a family joke especially when we see these road signs, claiming "hundreds" of collisions. Come on! We have driven these roads at dusk and dawn (supposedly the best time for a moose to cross these roads), but still no sightings.

My best story is when we were in Bar Harbor, ME in 2001 and we had just walked from our B&B to a restaurant on the main drag. As we were being seated a couple came in all excited that they had just spotted a moose walking down the main street. We couldn't believe we missed it! Oh well, I guess I have to be content with my sculpture spottings of a moose.

From 60's to 20's in 8 Miles

OMG! This was truly an experience. We drove up Washington Mountain and the weather went from a comfortable 66 degrees to 25 degrees in 8 miles. How is that possible! I don't know, but if you ever have the chance to experience this phenomenon you should do it!




The road is pretty narrow and not for the faint at heart. Coming from California and driving to Santa Cruz every weekend made it not so terrifying for us. I did get butterflies though when we went from a beautiful tree line to nothing but desolate landscape. I don't really know how to describe it except to say it was like being in a weird dream.










When we got to the part with the rock piles we actually saw a bird trying to fly and wasn't going anywhere it was that windy!









Yes, that is snow/frost at the top. It was really windy and way to cold for me. Hiking is a big thing here as it is a part of the Appalachian Trail. We actually saw hikers coming from a trail to the weather station where this last picture was taken. You have to really love hiking and cold weather!

Pumpkin Heads in New Hampshire

Well, here we are in the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire and I guess it's what they call "Pumpkin Head" time. They are fun to see all around the area, some more clever than others. I tried to get pictures of the one's I thought were worthy. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Finding Your Roots

I've been thinking about pulling out all my old research and continue to work on my family tree. It was really a lot of fun when I was doing it, but I got "burned out" after a year. I did quite well and got great information on my maternal side. And, the best part was all the information I got from a second cousin. I also have a lot of "stories" that I got from a family member that made the search even more fun. I was very fortunate to get copies of items such as baptism certificates that have since been destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. The church was completely destroyed in Bay St. Louis, MS.

If you have the urge to find your family history, I strongly suggest their is no time like the present. I wouldn't have the great pictures and stories I have today due to a natural disaster if I hadn't followed that urge. It all started with a simple search of census records. If you like a challenge, this is a great project!


Picture: My mother's grandmother (French, Choctaw and Italian)

Singing in the Rain

Yes, it was a rainy day! But, it was one of those perfect rainy days. Just a drizzle which I think is unusual for the Midwest. We usually get torrential downpours and driving sideways rain. But today's rain was "perfect"! I went out running errands today and totally enjoyed the rain. I didn't use an umbrella, opting for my bucket hat and a raincoat - perfect! I wish it would always rain like this. Since my garden is still gorgeous the rain was perfect to keep those blossoms coming. In twenty years living here in the Chicagoland area, I don't ever remember my garden lasting this long. Usually by the first part of August I am so over it! So while I was out in the rain today I remembered my favorite rain song, "Singing in the Rain". I was so surprised when I found it on youtube. ENJOY!




Note: picture was taken by Todd Bates in England

The Way I See It #293

I'm a Starbucks addict.

Every day I make at least one visit to Starbuck's for a grande non-fat latte. Sometimes I even get an extra shot! I don't know what it is about the coffee that I love so much. I've tried the other coffee houses, but I like my coffee STRONG, and Starbuck's coffee is just stronger in taste than other places. I spend about $30 a week on my coffee. And, yeah, I know that's a lot. BUT, I don't buy or drink soda. In fact, the only other liquid I consume daily is water. So I feel justified in my coffee habit.

So today when I got my morning coffee, I was reading my cup and this is what it said:



The Way I see It #293

The way I see it
Isn't necessarily
The way you see it
Or the way it is
Or ought to be
What's more important
Is that we're all
Looking for it
And a way to see it

by: Desi Di Nardo

So, in my opinion, #293 is exactly what I mean when I say "WhatEver is On My Mind". Thank you Starbuck's for that great little philosophical tidbit.

Just for Fun!

That In Between Time

It's that in between time of year. It's not Summer and it's not quite Fall. I don't remember this when I grew up in California. I think we had only two seasons there. But here in Illinois we are stuck at in-between right now.

So what do we do at that in between time? I changed my wardrobe to my Fall/Winter clothes even though it probably is too early as warm days are still ahead. Just not hot, sunny days. I know I'll need to pull something out for a hot day, but I'm really ready to embrace Fall. And, have you seen that great array of purples in the stores? I didn't think there were so many shades of purple. But, be careful when choosing your purple because as I found out some will not be flattering on you depending on your coloring. But DO indulge in at least one thing in purple. When was the last time purple was so prominent in a season?

Okay, so back to that in between time of year. It's the time when you clean up the yard putting your garden to bed. Whew! What a workout today! I decided to get rid of some perennials that weren't performing that well anymore. That part of the garden looks "new" again. I'm not quite ready to put the garden accessories away yet. I enjoy seeing those out through the first frost. I hope that doesn't come until November. Wouldn't that be nice!

Note: picture is from my garden

The Couple

I love this picture. Is it a husband and wife? Or is it a son with his mother?

As husband and wife, I think they are soul mates. They have watched their child grow and leave home. Now the two of them are once again alone and enjoy the simple things in life such as a leisurely walk through town, reminiscing about the years that have made up their life together.

As a son with his mother they have a close bond. She can't imagine her life without him in it. A child always brings pure joy to a mother. She takes so much pleasure in watching him grow from a small child to a grown man. And, as you can see in the picture, he cares for his mothers well being. And the mother, watching where she is walking, is ever so grateful for his strong arm and the son she has raised.

Either way, I love this couple and hope their story is just like mine. I wish them love and joy!


Note: Picture was taken in Europe by my son Todd

An Interesting Weekend in Columbus

Ok, the yahoo drama is over - thank goodness! My site is up and running once again and I appreciate your patience if you had any problems. So now on to whatever else is new in my life....

and, that would be....

a beautiful evening at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio for a Food and Wine Show this past weekend. This incredible conservatory was built in 1895. They have a really nice collection of Chihuly glass. I took this one picture of the ceiling in a hallway that was really beautiful.




The food and wine was plentiful. The wine was from everywhere and the food was from local restaurants and really, really good! The only thing that would have made this even more incredible was the weather. We had a misty rain that was bothersome as people couldn't really stroll outside so the inside of the conservatory got very hot and crowded. And after a summer of sandals and flip flops, I have to tell you I have the worst blisters from these really "hot" peep toe red patent leather shoes. After awhile, I sat and just people watched. I was amazed at how many women "over" accessorized. I saw one women that had at least 6 or more chunky bracelets on, huge necklace and earrings and a very prominent belt. Ladies, please remember "less is more!"

So after a great evening, we spent the next day looking for an apartment for our son who will be attending OSU beginning this month to further pursue his education. After looking at several dumps, we found a great place in a good location. Now we have to pack him up and move him in. This apartment is really huge but only has one very small bathroom behind the kitchen - weird! But, you know, not something a boy would be bothered by. He advertised right away on facebook for a roommate as it is two bedrooms. The first (his) bedroom is downstairs with the living area/kitchen and the one and only bathroom. The upstairs is the entire space of the downstairs with a walk-in closet. This could actually be another apartment except it's missing the kitchen and bathroom. Well, he got a response right away from a 24 year old architectural design student. They hit it off well and SHE is moving in next week. It seem's the walk in closet is more important than the one and only bathroom downstairs behind the kitchen. I'm hoping (really hoping) that a female roommate will make him want to keep the apartment cleaner than his dorm room ever was. Is that wishful thinking?

I Could Kill Yahoo!!!!

OMG!!! Today I found out that yahoo did not renew my domain. This is after I called them several weeks ago to make sure that my domain would be automatically renewed. I didn't think about it anymore until a customer called me wanting to know why there is an ad and not my website when they type in my website: http://www.whateveraccessories.com.

Wouldn't you know, I couldn't get in touch with a real person this time around so sent an email regarding this dilemma. I went ahead and signed up for my domain name again, but now I can't figure out how to connect the domain to my website once again. The good news is I have confirmation that this is once again my domain. Meanwhile, if any of you wonderful blog readers are trying to see my website you are getting an "Under Construction" page.

I've now been on hold with Yahoo for 30+ minutes. I'm starting to think maybe I should've found someone else to register my domain. I will keep you posted and hopefully you will be able to visit my website soon.

Thanks,
Sandi

Politics and TV

Did you know that Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first presidential hopeful to use television to promote his run for the presidency? This commercial was made by Disney in 1952. Instead of mud-slinging campaigns we see on TV today, wouldn't it be refreshing to see an upbeat "fun" commercial?

When I saw this on YouTube, I couldn't pass it up. I loved the simplicity of this political ad. We will soon be even more inundated with "Don't Vote For..." ads that by the time we have to go to the booths to vote, we will question our vote and some may choose to not vote. Sad, but true!

Daydreaming

We've had such incredible weather this August and today I was relaxing in my Adirondack chair which is on my own private beach. With the nice cool breeze I couldn't help but daydream.

And, the first thing that came to mind was our many vacations in Maine. We would drop off our son at Audubon Camp at Hog Island, Maine for a few weeks and then explore the east coast before picking him up. This particular daydream was about our trip to Monhegan Island. We drove to New Harbor looking for Shaw's Wharf where we would catch a boat to the island. It's about 10 miles from the mainland and you can only get there by boat. When we approached the island, It was so picturesque. The hotel we were going to be staying in was on the hill looking out at the ocean. I couldn't wait to get off the boat.

This was summer, so all those lobster traps are not used on this island until winter. It was interesting to see them all over this little town stacked high just waiting for their time.

The island was easy to explore as I don't think it's more than 1 square mile. Their were easy trails to take you along the coastline and the views were spectacular! One of my favorite things was this small beach that had so much sea glass and broken china - all treasures waiting to be plucked up. Those treasures are now on my beach to remind me of this slice of paradise.

It isn't surprising that this little island is home to many artists as well as fisherman. It is truly unique. Hiking trails, beach, lighthouse and incredible views is whatever is on my mind today...

Finding Me

The older you get, the more you have going on in your life. I thought life was supposed to slow down? Years ago I took pride in my organization skills. When I worked in the corporate world my daily calendar was always full, but I always managed to check off what I wanted to accomplish for the day. I had a PDA that I carried around like a life line. Today, I still make those lists, and instead of the PDA I have a small calendar in my purse. But I keep pushing many of those tasks that I want to accomplish to the next day and then the next. Why is that? And everytime I find something new I want to learn to help my business it goes in a labeled folder (which at the time I think this is genius). But soon I have so many folders and so many stacks of notes that I become overwhelmed. My To Do list becomes longer because I can't finish each days To Do list.

My son took this picture a few years back and I have always found humor in it even though it looks like they just had bad news. The humor is this, they have so much to do that they don't know where to go or what to do. The first white haired lady in the blue sweater is trying to remember if she mailed that birthday card to her grandson. The gray haired lady leaning forward just realized she forgot to pick up her grandson and the lady next to her is wondering when will she ever remember where her grandson lives. Is is old age, or is it not being organized?





I just want to get off this merry-go-round and maybe start over. But where? I recently found a report by Axel Meierhoefer that discusses the value of being organized. You can get the report yourself at http://1sandib.pohmii.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=Axel76gl
In this report I found out what type of organizer I currently am and what I can do to be better organized. If you are having trouble organizing your life check out this FREE report. It helped me recognize what type of an organizer I am and how I can improve my organization skills.

Garden Party

My sister took me to lunch today to celebrate my birthday. We started doing this a few years back and I think it's a good tradition. No gifts, just lunch and shopping for the day in downtown Naperville. I was a cheap date this year, as I picked Hugo's Frog Bar where you can get soup and salad for $2. We actually split an appetizer ($6.50) and we both got the wedge with blue cheese. It was delicious!
While we were going to the shops I decided to take pictures of Naperville's sculptures for this year. I think I mentioned once before, that Naperville gets a set of sculptures each year that are given to different businesses/artists to paint and decorate. They put them around the downtown area from Memorial Day through Labor Day. They are then auctioned off and the money goes to United Way. This year's theme is Garden Party. My favorites are the dragonfly benches and a few of the butterfly birdbaths.
Here are the some of the cute names that are associated with each sculpture.



* A Monarch Landing
* A Wing and A Chair
* Alice in Naperville
* Dinner at My Pad?
* Garden Beatles
* Metamorphism
* Rosie the “Ribbiter”
* Some Day My Prince Will Come
* The Night and Summer Skies
* The Wings of Change





I found out Naperville has been doing this summer event since 2001. This is what we've had so far:

2001 - Giraffe's
2002 - Carousel Horses
2003 - Bears
2004 - Farmyard Friends
2005 - Magical Giving Garden
2006 - Dragons
2007 - Under the Sea
2008 - Garden Party

This really has become a big summer event in Naperville. Kids flock to get there picture taken with these beautifully decorated sculptures. You can tell each artist has taken care to represent the business that has sponsored their sculpture. There is always a "buzz" before they are displayed around downtown and then it is always sad to see them leave for the auction. It's one more thing to remind us that summer is over.

Blog Naming

One of the fun things about social blogging is to see what other blog names are out there. Some people are very inventive, cute, exotic, funny and of course sensible.

http://wwwhealthnutwannabeemom.blogspot.com (health tips from a mom)
http://www.saygoodbyetothepounds.com (thoughts on losing weight)
http://www.anemptycup.blogspot.com (a collection of thoughts, daily discoveries)
http://www.awanderingmoose.com (a travel blog)
http://smarterthanagrade5.blogspot.com (family humor)

I have had several reviews where people don't understand my title, WhatEver is On My Mind. The name of my business is WhatEver Accessories and when I started blogging I thought that I could write about whatever is on my mind and somehow tie it into my business WhatEver Accessories. So each post, I try and find one word in the post that will link to my website WhatEver Accessories. I didn't want my blog to be my website. I wanted people to know the person behind the website.

I guess we all have our own reasons on how we named our blog. I hope my blog name now makes sense to those that didn't see the connection. Writing about whatever is on my mind frees me up to write not just about jewelry and fashion, but about my travels, funny stories and videos, networking and so much more.

I hope you enjoy reading WhatEver is On My Mind and leave me a comment about my blog. And if you have time why not visit the blogs listed above. I'm sure they would love it!

Thanks,
Sandi

It Makes My Brown Eyes Blue!

Well, it's that time I have to go get these beautiful brown eyes of mine checked and get new glasses. I never look forward to this appointment.

First, I hate the eye test. The doctor says, "Which is better? This or This?" I always feel like it's a trick question. And when they put up the green screen and then the red screen and ask you which one is more clear, I honestly don't know which one is more clear. Do you?

Next, comes finding the right frame for your glasses. This could take hours! There are so many frames available. I think they should have a Frame Consultant there that can honestly tell you what works best for your face shape, what color is best for your eyes, hair, skin color. After all, this is an accessory. And we need it to look and feel just right. It makes my brown eyes blue just thinking about it.

You may ask, why not wear contacts? Well, I did until I moved to Chicago. It's too windy here, and severe changes in weather made it impossible for me to wear them. I do keep some throw aways for when I want to go somewhere without glasses.

Recently, my uncle offered to pay for lasik surgery. I said NO! This has to be one of my biggest fears. What if something goes wrong? I had a friend that hated crossing bridges when driving. She would go miles and miles out of her way to avoid a bridge. I thought this was crazy. Did you ever hear of a bridge in the U.S. collapsing? And then, it happened!

WOW!

So you see, I will never have lasik surgery.

So, I will go tomorrow, take that silly test and hope I give the right answers to make my eyesight 20/20. I will probably spend an hour or more trying to find the perfect frame for this brown-eyed girl and every time I see a picture of me, wish I had gone with that other one.

WhatEver's China Knot with Murano Glass Pendants

Is Purple the New Black?

I saw a funny cartoon today where the husband is in the attic and finds a box labeled "old clothes". He searches through it and finds a shirt he likes. He has it on and is showing it off to his wife saying he found it in the attic and doesn't it look great on him. His wife smiles. The shirt....well, it was an old maternity blouse.

This made me realize it's almost time for me to clean out my closet. I think the cooler weather we are having (very unusual for August) is making me a little anxious to start pulling out the Fall clothes. Which is really kind of weird, because I never pulled out all of my summer clothes this year. It was the week we had out of town company that I began to wonder where certain summer tops were and discovered I had never taken them out of my storage boxes. Boy, was that weird. What kind of memory loss was that?

Anyway, Fall is usually my favorite time to shop and find new clothes. I love to see those mannequins all layered and covered up in smoky, earthy colors. Of course, I could never wear all of those layers as I'm not a size zero. I'm trying to convince myself that all I need this year is a few new things to show that I'm "in fashion" for the Fall. I can't wait to see what kind of tops will have this Fall's purple. Purple has always been a favorite color, but I never seem to have it in my closet. Well, this Fall it is supposed to be the "hot" color. Will they be saying purple is the new black? So I was looking through my pictures taken at various locales during my travels and found a few Fall colors. The purple I found was not the saturated purple on the runways, but look how great it looks with the Fall leaves. The reason I included the picture below of Maine's Bubble Rock is because of the saturated blue. This picture was also taken during the Fall. So saturated colors are seen in the Fall and I think that is the key to updating your Fall wardrobe - saturated colors in accessories and tops.

Too High Heels!

When I was young and working in San Francisco I wore my high heels proudly. Many a women in the city traded their heels for sneakers. But not me, no siree! And, today I have weak ankles to prove it. I always felt a nice 3-4 inch heel made me "look" more professional and I know I walked the walk. But boy, did I suffer! Today I can wear a 1-2 inch heel, but will choose a kitten heel whenever I can.

When you buy your Fall shoes, choose wisely. Don't find yourself wobbling down the street, because as you can see, that just doesn't look good. Happy shoe shopping!

Wonder Years

This is a house I grew up in. We lived in Sunnyvale, CA. I think my parents paid about $20,000 for this house, maybe less. My best friend who lived next door recently sent this picture to me. I keep looking at it and don't remember it looking anything like this. That window in the front was my mom and dad's bedroom and for some reason I thought that window was a lot larger. The landscaping is obviously a lot different. But this house today sells for close to 1 million. Is that crazy? Would you pay a million for a house that was probably no more than 1000 square feet? It was 3 bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. I'm sure we didn't have a dining room and I bet there was only one bathroom. Six of us lived in this house until we moved sometime in the late fifties. It really is a shame that housing costs so much today. I know it was a struggle for my parents to purchase a home as it was for us when we purchased our first home. But how do young people today find a liveable home at an affordable price? No wonder there are so many foreclosures today. And, did you know more and more people are retiring in foreign countries? I saw a beautiful condo in Argentina for $30,000. I don't know if I personally would want to leave the U.S. and live in another country, but how tempting is that?

Well, I don't know why I'm writing this post about my ancient history other than it's my birthday today and this picture does bring back a lot of fun memories. My best friend and my Godparents lived next door and I remember all the neighbors were like that movie The Stepford Wives. I remember my mom mowing the lawn in short-shorts and high heels. That's right! I remember watching American Bandstand in our living room with my best friend, my Godmother and my mom, and moving the furniture so we could dance. I remember all the impromptu BBQ's, playing Roller Derby on our driveway and the many orchards that surrounded us allowing us to play some great hide and seek games. I remember my dad and my Godfather making home brew and storing it in the garage and then one day coming home and finding it had all exploded from the heat - what a mess!

And, that's what this picture does for me - brings back a lot of great memories. I hope all the families that lived in it after us had great memories as well. It was a comfortable home and when I watched that show The Wonder Years, I would think of this house and this neighborhood - they were my "wonder years".

A Tourist in your Own City

Chicago

Chicago, Chicago

That toddlin' town

Chicago, Chicago

I'll show you around,

Have you ever been a tourist in your own city? My son likes to call this "daycationing". It's funny how we live in or near a very desirable tourist location and don't visit it as a tourist would. We had out of town guests this past week and did just that. You know, the double decker bus around town to see all the architectural wonders of Chicago, stops for deep dish pizza and shopping at all the trendy places on Oak Street and Miracle Mile. It's fun to see your city as a tourist - it's a whirlwind of activity. And, we were really lucky with the weather as it was in the mid 80's.

I love it

Bet your bottom dollar

You'll lose the blues

In Chicago, Chicago

The town that Billy Sunday

Could not shut down

On State Street, that great street

State Street of course is not the same since Macy's bought out Marshall Field's. Chicagoans are very touchy about this subject. But you know, Chicago has really become a beautiful city and continues to shine with new construction everywhere. And, this time of year, Grant Park and the beaches are just teaming with young and old enjoying a few short months of sunshine. My favorite place to cool off are these fountains at Millennium Park. I think these are "genius" and just the ticket for a weary traveler to give them a little more steam to finish the daycation.



Oh! We also went to a Cubs game. Unfortunately they lost. But being in Wrigley Field is an experience you won't forget anytime soon.

I just wanna say

They do thing's

They don't do on Broadway, say

They have the time

The time or their life

I saw a man

He danced with his wife

So if you haven't done it yet, why not be a tourist in your own city and just think of the money you'll save on gas!

In Chicago, my home town

Chicago, Chicago

That toddlin' town

Back to Business

Ok, well the reason I haven't been posting on this blog is because I have been out of touch with the internet for 6 weeks and then I was overwhelmed with emails when I returned. Hopefully, all is well now and I can get back to the business of promoting my business and have some fun doing just that!

Just before I left town for 6 weeks, I started venturing into the world of social media (Facebook) as an additional way to promote my business. Wow! If you are not participating in this incredible way of marketing yourself then you need to start NOW! My website's traffic increased 244% in one month! Call me crazy for doing this and then leaving town though, because my email was through the roof!

So one of the fun things about Facebook is you can start a group about just anything. My first group is called "Pearls of Wisdom". I really tried to come up with a group name that also hinted at who I am - WhatEver Accessories. I'm at almost 400 members and growing daily. This group was designed for just women, but you can have many groups in many niches. What a great way to network! If you want to work with me and grow your own groups, join Facebook, ask me to be your friend and join one of my groups. Let Social Media help grow your business!

I look forward to hearing from you,

Sandi

Backyard Bang

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been playing with my new FlipVideo and wanted to see how I can use it in my blog.

Well graduations are over, school's out and summer is finally here! I finished my planting last week and very happy with my choices this year. Instead of planting a lot of annuals in my pots which ends up costing quite a bit of money, I decided to get more bang for my buck. I went to the local hardware/garden stores and bought very large palms and some ferns for my pots. Sure there isn't any color, but do I really need color in every pot? And when you have so much shade your choices of annuals are small. Another problem when you wait as long as I do to buy my annuals, the choices are picked over and already leggy - whatever! yuck! But I'm happy and I saved a lot of money. Those palms only cost $19.99 and the very large one only $24.99. Normally I stuff those pots with annuals that cost way more than that. And hopefully, if I did this right, you can see my late Spring/early Summer garden as I take a walk.

My Wish for You

My son graduated from college a few weeks ago. At this time you begin to reflect on the growing years and now the future. And then today this list of wishes appeared and I thought it was appropriate for all our graduates.

The Wish List by Collin McCarty

Of all the things I wish for you, I would give anything if these wishes
could always come true…

*I want you to be happy.

*I want you to fill your heart with feelings of wonder and to be full
of courage and hope.

*I want you to have the type of friendship that is a treasure — and
the kind of love that is beautiful forever.

*I wish you contentment: the sweet, quiet, inner kind that comes around
and never goes away.

*I want you to have hopes and have them all come true.

*I want you to make the most of this moment in time.

*I want you to have a real understanding of how unique and rare you
truly are.

*I want to remind you that the sun may disappear for a while, but it
never forgets to shine.

*I want you to have faith.

*May you have feelings that are shared from heart to heart, simple
pleasures amidst this complex world, and wonderful goals that are within
your grasp.

*May the words you listen to say the things you need to hear.

*And may a cheerful face lovingly look back at you when you happen to
glance in your mirror.

*I wish you the insight to see your inner and outer beauty.

*I wish you sweet dreams.

*I want you to have times when you feel like singing and dancing and
laughing out loud.

*I want you to be able to make your good times better and your hard
times easier to handle.

*I want you to have millions of moments when you find satisfaction in
the things you do so wonderfully.

*And I wish I could find a way to tell you — in untold ways — how
important you are to me.

Of all the things I'll be wishing for, wherever you are and whatever I
may do, there will never be a day in my life when I won't be wishing
for the best… for you.
--------------------

Those funny emails....

We all receive those funny email. Sometimes I receive so many I can't possibly open and read them all. Today I received this from a friend and it really made me chuckle and thought why don't I put this on my blog. I hope you all enjoy it - it's just for fun!

SAD News.....
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community. The Pillsbury Doughboy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.

Doughboy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects, including Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies, and Captain Crunch. The grave site was piled high with flours.

Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Doughboy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded. Doughboy rose quickly in show business, but his later life was filled with turnovers. He was not considered a very smart cookie, wasting much of his dough on half-baked schemes. Despite being a little flaky at times, he still was a crusty old man and was considered a positive roll model for millions.

Doughboy is survived by his wife Play Dough, three children: John Dough, Jane Dough and Dosey Dough, plus they had one in the oven. He is also survived by his elderly father, Pop Tart.

The funeral was held at 3:50 for about 20 minutes.

A Day of Beauty

There is nothing better than a day of beauty.

First I was off to get a new set of acrylic nails. I don't really know what it is about getting my nails done that makes me feel so good. But when my nails look good I look good. I started doing acrylics back in the 80's when it was fairly new. I've always had terrible nails that no matter what home remedy or over the counter product I tried, nothing worked to stop my nails from splitting. I tried whatever I could find to have nice nails and nothing worked. And then I found out about acrylics and the rest is history. I think the secret to beautiful acrylic nails is to get a new set every 4 weeks. And just look how great my flower ring looks with this great manicure!

Then I was off to get a pedicure at my favorite spa Coldwater Creek. Believe me when I tell you that a person can fall asleep during a pedicure at CC. It starts out with a lavendar foot soak that smells heavenly. Then you get a warm neck roll, a blanket wrapped around you, an eye mask before they completely recline your chair and you are now totally relaxed. But, wait, now they give you some aromotherapy which totally relaxes you and then the pedicure begins. About 45 minutes later your technician wakes you up with a little more aromotherapy, puts you in an upright position, takes off the mask, neck roll and blanket and welcomes you back to the real world with really great looking toes - ooohhhhh!

My Dream House

When I was younger I wished for a two story house, but we always lived in a one story ranch. Two stories were not really popular in California then. My first three homes were one story ranches and I remember wanting more. I still had that dream of two stories. Then I moved into a condo in downtown San Francisco that you had to walk up a flight of stairs to the main entrance and the main floor which was the living area, then once you were on the main floor you could go back down a flight to the kitchen, dining room and an office or you could go up one flight to the two master bedrooms or you could go up one more flight to the laundry room and rooftop garden. Is it any wonder that after several years going up and down so many flights of stairs I no longer wanted a two story house. But when we moved to New Jersey, the home I fell in love with was 2 stories and 100 years old with very small stairs. Then our last move, where we are now in Naperville, I moved into what they call in the Midwest a split level Ranch. Which, if you want my opinion is 2 stories. We've been here 20 years (a very long time in one place for us) and I long for a small, quaint cottage somewhere, anywhere. My dream house is no longer a big 2 story home, but a single story, small, quaint home. When I see a home like the one above my heart soars for the simplicity of life this home offers. And now that my son has graduated from college, I dream of this house and wonder how long will it be before we find each other. I wonder where it will be? I hope somewhere warm at least 9 months out of the year - wouldn't that be nice?

Where's your dream house?

Planting Anxiety

What a beautiful day today!

I'm always so torn this time of year - do I plant my annuals yet or wait a few more weeks. And, if I do plant what are the chances of a freezing night (or day). What to do? You see in my neck of the planting zone, it could conceivably still snow. Sounds ridiculous right? Well, one year shortly after we moved to Illinois, I went to the garden center as soon as they had their plants out and purchased many annuals not realizing that I could lose everything in a single night/day. AND, I did! Hundreds of dollars gone in one night because I didn't listen to the forecast. I mean, after all it was in the 70's that day - who thought it would get down to freezing that night. So now every year about this time I get really antsy especially when I see my neighbors planting their beds and pots.

When is a safe time? Most people around here say Mother's Day. I think they say that only to get sales. I think the real date must be after Memorial Day. We've lived here 20 years and believe me it has snowed on Memorial Day.

But you know, it was such a beautiful day, and I thought maybe I could just go look and maybe purchase a few small plants for my pots. Something I could quickly cover and protect if I had to. Now you all have to cross your fingers for me and hope the weather holds out for another week.

I hope to get them planted this weekend along with working in the yard and really try to hold off for one more week before making anymore purchases at my favorite garden center.

While you're waiting to plant your flowers, why not wear some flowers with these incredible Peek-a-Boo Strapz for any interchangeable bra or strapless bra - a great look anywhere!

Live, Love and Laugh

Oh my God!!!!! I can't believe that this is my 3rd attempt to post and each time I've lost what I wrote! I'm going out of my mind! I think I am really on sensory overload and just can't function right now. I've been listening to training tapes for hours and hours and I'm exhausted. I realize it's been a few weeks since I last wrote a post and have gotten good mileage out of my last post about Facebook so thought I could coast along a little longer. But the time has really come that I need to get with the program and get blogging.


It's not like I don't have anything to blog about. Why, just last week I took a walk along the Riverwalk here in Naperville and took some great pictures that I thought I would share along with a beautiful scene right outside my kitchen window looking out at my flowering plum tree. Nature pictures always bring about inspiration and I find them easy to tie into my website.


And, just this past weekend my son graduated from college giving me plenty to reflect upon. And, then of course there was Mother's Day.

But for some reason my mind has been a little mushy and I just can't write the words because I keep thinking of all the things I have to get done and that keeps getting in the way of writing. When I looked at my biorhythms it showed my creativity very low - should I be happy? I don't know.

I do hope all the mom's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day, I know I did. And, I hope all my followers will forgive me for being lapsed in blogging and will understand that occasionally bloggers do that.

So.... Live, Love, Laugh with this great necklace and show your zest for life.

Crazy in Love...with Facebook!

Last month I thought I'd start a little flirtation with Facebook. Little did I know it would become a full blown relationship! Who says Facebook is only for school kids? You can be on Facebook for purely social reasons or you can be on Facebook for social and networking reasons. That's right you heard me - blogging is great, but Facebook is phenomenal when it comes to getting your name and business out there! I get to tell the world I sell Murano glass jewelry.

If you are on Facebook, look me up and add me as a friend. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1035831088

If you are not on Facebook yet, why not? There is so much to learn and it's not only fun but rewarding.




I post this logo on my Facebook profile and all of the groups I belong to.
What a great way to get your business name out to people all over the world.

And, they have all of these applications that you can add, such as your blog. Who knew?