crazy daisy

can't put it down!

 sometime ago i blogged about a book... the girl with the dragon tattoo by stieg larrson. it's the first of a trilogy he finished shortly before his death. the first book has a slightly confusing, and not what i would call terribly interesting first chapter...however, it all becomes clear and picks up speed as you clear that first, and only hurdle.  the book was quite a mystery-thriller and the characters developed expertly making a lasting impression on me. i've rather impatiently waited for the second book to be released...and it was TODAY! :)  it was released in europe a month ago (larsson being swedish...i guess the europeans got their first dibs). the movie of the first book, renamed 'millenium' will be released in europe this fall.  i'm not certain yet of a date for the u.s.... i just hope it has a run here!! so, i've downloaded this highly anticipated book to my kindle and am headed to the sofa for what i know will be a fabulous read! (it was 4.5 stars here before release!...those handy europeans gave us an early review!)

iphone fun

i had the opportunity to preview the iphone for a while before purchasing. i have a few friends that have their own and really like them. i was able to look at and try their phones a bit to see if i was impressed enough to switch. i was....and still am. my phone is fabulous!!! i'm amazed at how user friendly it is (being an apple...i wouldn't expect less). but even more..the variety of applications is impressive. i have everything from a gps to a margin calculator, camera, easy email access, voice memos....it's amazing. it allows me more flexibility while working as well. rather than running to the pc i can access most things from the phone. it's cool..and it's just fun! had to share.....

the month of june....

has flown by! i must say a big thank you to several dear friends and clients who reminded me it is time to get back to blogging! i appreciate the reminder :)   june was an extraordinarily busy month for me with business and left little time for anything else. finally this weekend past i took a long weekend at the lake with my bestest buds and am getting back to a normal pace. i have much to catch up on of things i've let go since mother's day and new projects i'm starting...all rather exciting!  i've just begun work on a little shop remodel and am excited to see where plans go with this... and a couple of trips to texas in the works over the next month or two... just some fun things along with all the painting i must get back to in the house...it's dreadfully behind (as is my garden work....) ahhh...the relaxing days of summer!!! hahaha! here are some pix over the past several weeks....

it's may...!

things here have been chaotic + hectic for the last couple of weeks preparing for mother's day. now it's over and it's the middle of may! amazing how the time flies. i still haven't set out my tomato plants and that's my plan for this week. it's been raining and cloudy here so what better time?  I'm excited because i have several heirloom varieties and i can't wait to see how they grow. one produces purple tomatoes, another stripes! and some golden-orange. i'm looking forward to getting photos of those!

i've done nothing in the way of curtains, painting or any other domestic goddess type activity in the last while...longer than i'd like to admit.  hopefully i will make time for this soon!

my 25th high school reunion is coming up soon! isn't that crazy? i've been to the 10 year and 20 year so i'm all excited about this one. it's fun and interesting to reconnect with some of the people i grew up with. many have done just this on facebook....so cool...and hopefully many others will follow in person.

more to come....

my kindle

i'm not a gadget junkie. i carry the same cell phone for years (upgrading is always complicated and involves words like 'extended contracts' and 'user minutes' and 'extended minutes' and ewwww...scary) i don't own a  blackberry or iphone or other such device (ok...well i do have an ipod, that doesn't count). i don't even have cable. i do admit to having a GPS but that's more a survival tool than an entertainment device. all of this said...when the kindle came out from amazon a couple of years ago--i wanted one. seriously, i wanted a kindle. i was patient. they worked out the glitches, made it stronger, faster.....the BIONIC KINDLE! out came the kindle 2. i bought one. it is paid for quickly as i go through books like crazy. i love my kindle! it has it's own pillow by my bed! it can hold a charge for days, it downloads in less than 60 seconds, it's lightweight, so easy on my eyes---no specs in the bed! it travels and holds gazillions of books!----this thing is awesome.  i had to share. so then the funny part ...i'm taking one of those ridiculous/addictive quizzes on facebook today "what pick-up line fits you best?" and my answer was "you must be a book cause baby i'm checkin' you out!" hahahhaha....can't wait to hear that one!

didn't i take a great photo here? my nails look so awesome for a florist! ;) ;)

my friends

a few days ago a dear friend of mine sent me one of those little emails that goes around to everyone. i get those all the time and some i read, some not....i read this one. it had this beautiful bouquet of iris (being a florist this was just too perfect!) and this short message and i read it and it meant so much to me. this last year has been the most difficult, hardest year of my life. my friends have seen me at my best and worst and have been so supportive, offered so much strength, listening ears, shoulders to cry on and laughter!!! i just want to say thank you to each of them. i hope i never have to repay the favor---but i am always here for you all because i want to be. you are all precious to me and i wouldn't be starting over and moving on without every single one of you. thank you.

There comes a point in your life when you realize:

what matters,

who never did,

who won't anymore,

and who always will.

So, don't worry about people from you past,

there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future.

weather or not

haven't i been bad? not blogging...and i've heard about it (thx friends!) so i'm refocused now and ready to roll! i've been a bit preoccupied the last couple of weeks and haven't accomplished much in the way of anything (except a couple of raging fun girls night out parties!)  i'm giving myself permission to let it go. yay me! i did make a wonderful bunch of cream cheese marbled brownies and a delish blackberry cobbler last week! made another trip to ikea...it's becoming a regular thing... and took a little drive yesterday to muskogee oklahoma to spend the gorgeous, sunny afternoon looking at stunning azaleas, bulbs and blooming trees of all kinds. it's amazing as one week ago we had half a foot of snow on the ground and no electricity for most of the day....seven days later...SPRING!

 

one week ago! my little tulip stayed beautiful all through the cold snap

  

 

 

 

 these photos were all taken at honor heights park in muskogee oklahoma. the trees and the condition of the park were amazing considering that one year ago was such a destructive ice storm and such extensive damage. i fell in love with the crabapple tree and now i want to plant one in my yard. the bees were swarming over the tree and i would be happy to support the bee population and enjoy the beautiful blooms as well!

IKEA here we come!

well now, we've actually been...three times in the last 6 weeks! my first IKEA experience was when i moved to singapore. there was a brand new IKEA there and i'd never seen anything like it! it was perfect as i had to outfit a house with furniture and household items from scratch. i became an IKEA convert at that moment. a year or two later, in chicago, i located another IKEA. thankfully...they're all the same. you can walk into any store worldwide and find the same layout, items, etc. i was spoiled rotten while living in holland as there are IKEA stores all over that tiny country! when i moved back to oklahoma i was shocked and dismayed to find that IKEA has yet to discover tulsa!? what is with that? still, i have found IKEA converts in my neighborhood! they too make their frequent trips to frisco, texas, eat their fill of swedish meatballs and return home to domestic bliss. i haven't achieved domestic bliss yet but i'm working on it. simplifying and organizing ...it's a process for me but one that my frisco trips make more pleasureable. oh! and my sister and i went this past weekend. we drove saturday morning to frisco, spent 7.5 hours in ikea and drove back! the car was packed like christmas goose and we rolled into tulsa at 12.30am.  we did notice however that walking distance from the ikea store in frisco is an embassy suites! our next trip may be a bit longer....

 

this is my new kitchen center island! (high-five to my dear friend kimberly for her kick ass assembly help!!)  it looks better in person and i'll have photos soon when i get everything sorted out. the top is oak and 2 bar stools fit underneath on the backside. it's become the gathering place....love it!

 you can't tell from this photo but the detail on the bottom is actually daisies! of course i went crazy daisy over this one. it now has my television on top and handy baskets stacked inside full of dvds! it has eliminated a messy hot spot in the living room and we are all so pleased. the little side table below is the perfect complement.

nozuka...music to my ears!

i always find it exciting..that moment when i hear music that captures my attention. melody, rhythm or vocal...whatever it is that is unique and inspiring. music that isn't mainstream and manufactured but still reflects the character and unique spirit of the artist. that is truly...amazing. here's another listen...www.justinnozuka.com

have you had your wordle today?

i had seen wordles but i had never heard the proper name until my sister clued me in. they are such fun and now i'm wanting to make them for all kinds of things! you begin by entering the words you want to include in your design. the more times a word is entered the larger it will appear in the design. for example...let's say i wanted to make a 'music' themed wordle. i might enter the following:

music music music music music music song song song song singer singer singer vocal vocal band band keyboard keyboard guitar guitar drums drums bass bass electric electric melody synthesizer treble treble blues metal jazz country alternative acoustic sound  and so on...

you type in your words then you can choose colors, font and style. click 'go' and up pops your wordle. if i do the words above one design would be:

i'm thinking words of a favorite song or speech, words describing a friend or family member...endless ideas! i like the black background (below) as well. go to www.wordle.net and give it a try!! enjoy :)