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