Today's Bouquets

I'M GLAD

I’m glad the sky is painted blue

And the earth is painted green,

With such a lot of nice fresh air

All Sandwiched in between.

-Anonymous

My 8-year old son, Brock, memorized this poem for a classroom recitation. I thought it was a sweet and fitting partner for this photo.

I have an out-of-town guest this weekend who traveled from the faraway land of Pennsylvania. I affectionately call her Cynderooni. She is actually a transplant, having been born as an army brat in Georgia and raised in Wisconsin, Illinois, and then California. I met her online over a decade ago when she resided in Northern California. Then she moved to Barry's home state of Pennsylvania. She's a little spark plug (4'11" to be exact) with an enormous heart and she is revving my engine this weekend.

I will be taking some blog strolls after she leaves on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Engagement

On Friday, February 15th my daughter Briana was proposed to by her now fiancé, Brian. (See the original post HERE.) In short, Brian took Briana to Corona del Mar, California with the pretense of having a picnic near the cliffs. Briana was utterly surprised by the proposal, especially when she discovered her audience: Brian's family and her own.

Here are some photos taken by Brian's brother, Gil, as he frantically maneuvered the rocky slope to capture every precious moment—all while remaining invisible. The first 2 shots are a little fuzzy; however, the pictures became more clear when Gil was able to stand still.

When Brian was satisfied that we had all arrived, he knelt down for his proposal.

Briana's jaw dropped in shocked surprise!

Upon hearing the cheers from the cliffs—which also included some enthusiastic strangers—she turned to her audience.

Still in shock, Briana takes inventory.

I think this was a YES!

The ring!

My First Blog Award (Updated April 3rd)

Today, for the first time in my blogging experience, I received an award. Up until now, I have received oodles of meaningful recognition, but never an award. The award alone is extremely sweet, but I am even more honored that it came from DebraK of the Bunnies' Bungalow! She is a classy, from-the-heart lady who seats her guests at a virtual kitchen table and offers a tender slice of her life.

I admire DebraK's dedication and courage as she describes her emotional journey through her mother's Alzheimer's disease. I have cried many times reading DebraK's poignant tributes and her sometimes painful accounts of watching a loved one fade away.

Thank-you, DebraK for this kindness and for allowing me to share a small portion of your life.

Thanks to Miss Shabby, I found out this morning (April 3rd) that I have received another "Excellent" award from Kathy of Kathy's Cottage! A DOUBLE HEADER!

I smile as I mention Kathy's name because I immediately see her coyly peeking through pink roses on her blog's "profile" page. Kathy is about inspiration, gracious living, and celebrating life! I am honored that you thought of me, Kathy! Thank-YOU!

Now, it's my turn... Much like DebraK, the "choosing" part is not easy because I will inevitably leave out people and places that give me great pleasure. So, I am going to spontaneously select from my long list of favorites as they step through the door of my brain. Perhaps you'll meet someone new!

1. Beverly at Tea Time and Roses
2. Ingela at Fridhem
3. Joyce at The Secret Gardener
   
4. Agnes at Agnes Shabby Chic
5. Pat at Back Porch Musings
6. Jill at Bailiwick Designs
   
7. Julie at Celtic Lady
8. Andi at Andi's Everyday Adventures
9. Rosemary at rosespetitemaison
   
10. Esther at Esther Sunday

I now pass the baton on to these recipients. Feel free to award 10 bloggers who have touched you and made you laugh, explore, think, etc.

Lipstick Personality Profile

Which lipstick looks most like yours?
(Click to enlarge.)

Now, read the profile that matches your lipstick.
(Click to enlarge.)

Personality profiles can be fun and informative; however, I don't believe that profiles should be used to pigeonhole or overgeneralize. Personalities are as diverse as fingerprints.

Many people have been aided by personality tests that involve the Four Temperaments. This is a psychological theory that originated with Hippocrates and includes four temperament styles: choleric and sanguine, extroverted; and melancholic and phlegmatic, introverted. Most temperaments are blended, and all consist of strengths and challenges with the ideal goal of becoming balanced with maturity.

This Lipstick Personality Profile is offbeat and amusing. Perhaps we will never look at our lipstick the same; nevertheless, after reading all of the profiles, my lipstick did the talking.

The shape of my lipstick matched up with "sharp-angled but curved tip." Most of this profile was a bullseye. There was one exception: I don't "fall in love easily." As a romantic, I just "love" things easily.

Again, this information is only an abstract gauge but perhaps you will relate to it. Please take a moment to tell me about your lipstick profile.

LAUGH OF THE DAY: Menopause Parking by Chonda Pierce

Odds and Ends

God's my island hideaway,

keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck.
— Psalm 32:7 (The Message)

I recently discovered a web service called Picnik: a photo playground with tools for adding signatures and special effects to your favorite photos. Whimsical titles help you to navigate and there is quite a selection of storage options.

The above photo of my favorite teacup appeared on my blog several months ago. Using Picnik's special features I was able to add the pictured enhancements: a frame, colored background, signature, and some editing (click on photo to enlarge.) They offer a 3-month trial membership without having to register anything other than a user name and password.

Subscription to this Blog — As you can see, I've added an email subscription box to my blog. When I checked Feedburner, I found out that 2 feeds existed in relationship to eye-dyllic, so I deleted one of them. If you have already signed up, you might want to do it once again to ensure that the subscription is locked in.