Friday Funny

Follow Beaded Tail's ... tails ...

Today is a very Thankful Thursday in honor of the selfless assistance of Theresa Thompson of TiLT Creations, who helped me by improving my blog!

I suggest you hurry on over to her shop... why? 

Because look at her banner below!

Sunday Morning May 23, 2010 South Lido Beach Park ...

Where have I been?

My Studio

after carpet & glue removed

View of the hall. 

That's my Studio doorway on the left.

The two open doors down the hall are "her's" & his".

My Studio

View from the front door, after contractor

installed that window.

See the paint swatches on my wall...ugh!

We decided to have our Wednesday

Bead Group at The Studio's "as is".

With champagne to celebrate!

My Studio

After being painted.

More to come...

Eggs? Do I feel dumb ...

Choosing eggs is not nearly as simple as it should be. After all, the average egg weighs about 2 ounces. How many decisions can you possibly have to make for something so small and seemingly simple? Well, let’s see: Brown or white? Large or small? Organic or not?


And those decisions are just the tip of the iceberg. Egg cartons can be stamped with any number of labels, some meaningful, others not so much.

It's not always easy to separate fact from fiction when it comes to eggs. Below are some of the most common misperceptions.

Myth: Brown eggs are different than white.

Fact: The only difference between a brown and white egg is the color of the shell, which is merely a reflection of the breed of the hen. In general, but not always, hens with white feathers and earlobes lay white eggs and those with dark feathers and red earlobes lay brown eggs.

One isn’t healthier, more “natural,” or more eco-friendly than the other. There aren’t any differences in nutritional quality, flavor, or cooking characteristics.

Myth: Free-range eggs come from hens that roam freely outdoors.

Fact: The claims are not regulated for eggs, according to Consumer Reports. So there is no guarantee that the hen that laid the eggs ever saw the light of day. Of course, it may have spent time outdoors, but the “free range” label doesn’t mean anything. The following labels are also meaningless when it comes to eggs: “free roaming,” “hormone free,” and “raised without antibiotics.”

Myth: Organic eggs are healthier.

Fact: They certainly can be, but it all depends on the chicken’s diet. Organic eggs come from hens that are fed a 100-percent organic diet. However, what really matters when it comes to nutrition is whether the hens were raised on pasture. Studies, such as those conducted at Penn State University and by Mother Earth News, found that eggs from chickens that ate grass and insects contained higher levels of omega-3 fat, and vitamins E, A, and in some cases D.

If you want eggs from hens that are raised on pasture or spend a lot of time outdoors, then you’ll have to find a farmer you trust at your local farmers’ market.

Myth: Egg substitutes are simply eggs (or egg whites) without the shells.

Fact: Most products have added stabilizers, thickeners, vitamins, carotenes, and, sometimes, spices, according to Marion Nestle, author of What to Eat. She also points out that they cost about twice as much as real eggs. (A pound of egg substitutes weighs slightly less than a dozen small eggs.)

Of course, if you can’t eat egg yolks for health reasons or have no use for them, egg substitutes are a good option, and most products only have a tiny percentage of additives. Just read the labels before buying.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green's users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

Wordless Wednesday ...

(Mother's Day from our dear daughter)

Etsybloggers May 2010 Featured Teammate

If you take the time, you have the opportunity to learn much, as I did today!  Sandi, you are not only a sweetheart, lady...you are a powerhouse!!!

 

Handmade By Sandi

Sandi's T's

Sandi's Blog

The "T-Shirt Lady"

Sandi Myers, the owner of Sandi's T's, does all the sewing herself. She has been sewing for more than 35 years. My nickname is "T-Shirt Lady" which came from my husband. He goes hunting a lot, and didn't want to use his cell phone to stay in touch with me. So he bought us a pair of CB radios and decided on my 'name'!

"I love to make my house as nice as it can be, and so I'm always searching for nice things at affordable prices that allow me to change my home's "look" for the seasons, plus each holiday. In my search, I found wonderful companies I'm so impressed with that I decided to represent them on my website so that YOU have easy access to them as well, without all the searching! While I continue to search, you can enjoy,,,"

"Most fulfilling of all is offering opportunities to other artists to share their talent - like denim purses, glass pendants, tennis bracelets, and others too numerous to mention. Talented artists offering unique handcrafted items you love!"

"We also have a farmette, raising melons and vegetables for foodbanks. Actually, my husband does most of the farming - grin - I just get on the tractor every once in awhile!"

You must stop by her shop to celebrate her birthday and her wide variety of creativity with her 50% off sale.

EtsyBloggers Team May 21, 2010 Blog Carnival

Hosted by teammate: Elizabeth, Teacher, Crafter, Reader, Auntie, Daughter, Sister, Cancer Survivor, AND Designer/Artisan of ebogie, Thoughts From An Evil Overloard, AND Coming On Strong.



Elizabeth's two choices for this Blog Carnival are:



1) By mid-May most people in the northern hemisphere are working on their gardens and starting to have some things sprout. Share any gardening, flowers, vegetables, or even containers on the deck, that you are doing this year, or that have been successful in the past.



2) This is also the time of year many of us have children getting out of school and we're planning a summer vacation. Write about a wonderful family or group vacation from your childhood, or more recent years.
As I do not live in or near the northern hemisphere (anymore) *sniff*, 2) will be the subject for which this blog post will be about, as I write with trepidation about the teacher correcting my work!  :-)


Growing up in New England with a step-father who had his own construction company building new homes, remodeling, and such, winter work was slow as digging a basement/cellar was impossible, we would pack up for a month and come to Florida to visit my mother's relatives.  Bringing our school work with us Elizabeth!


The good things that I remember the most is the beautiful Clearwater Beach and Pier 60, swimming in February, foods we did not normally eat, thunder like I had never heard, sharing a room with my cousin who is four days older than I, and collecting things to bring back for show-and-tell. 


My Aunt Kosha worked at the Safety Harbor Spa and always had spa bags full of little goodies from the spa, and her husband, my favoritest Uncle would pay me $10 to comb his hair.  Needless to say, I was his favorite and I miss him terribly.


Aunt Betty, married to an Italian, would cook huge pots of homemade pasta sauce as the men played horseshoes in the empty lot next door to their home, and if we were lucky, us kids (my 1/2 sisters & cousins) were allowed to swim in a neighbors swimming pool while they were out of town.  We would swim until we were purple and pruned, the heat up in the hot Florida sun, then beg to go back again.


Visiting Florida from a small town in Cape Cod I learned of air conditioning, huge rain storms, hot white sandy beaches, wearing shorts in the winter, being with my mothers family, flamingo's (tropical birds) was introduced to my cousins friends mother who was bald from cancer and wore a wig, swinging from a tree branch on a tire swing, having my first big girl drink, having a crush on one of my older male cousins, spanish moss/chiggers, red clay dirt in Georgia, and so much more.


Traveling by car or truck all of those miles in each direction, my step-father was a CB freak talking to the truckers fascinated me totally.  Especially at night when everyone else but he and I were sleeping and it was just he and I...


Sitting here, the good memories have me smiling and feeling wonderful in remembrance.  Thank you Elizabeth for the opportunity.


Reminders from the EtsyBloggers Team, please visit their shops by clicking on the link and enjoy:

Donna Pool 

(not just the camera, but the "pool" too)

ebogie -  Dots n Drinks

(my first big girl drink)

Punky Jane - Mark Your Calendar

(our month in FL was always February, believe me when

I say that we counted down the days)

Memories Scrapbook Photo Album

(this one speaks for itself)

Caturday

Who said it was a ruff life?

Well you've come a long way since the beginning ....

That is what my wonderful daughter said when I told her that I am moving into a real, genuine brick & morter!

Later this month I will be moving my studio into a B&M!!! Sometimes things happen so fast, and sometime those things have such great potential.

Two of my friends from our Wednesday beading group have rented out a gigantic warehouse space.  This is a photograph of the store front, which is a total of (I think) 5,000 square feet. 

To let you in on a bit about the ladies, one has her own contractors license, is a master potter, fabulous interior designer, who used to have a business w/her former husband where they traveled the world in charge of building water theme parks such as Sea World, and on her own more recently, was building "very" high end homes.

The other is a retired art teacher who continues to teach. She teaches at a local bead shop, at FSU, oversees the grants for the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, and is a painter as well as jewelry designer and artisan, specializing in middle eastern design.  They both do classes for children in local schools and have traveled the world. And that’s not the 1/2 of it. Am I in good company?

The place, already given the chosen name "The Studio" by the two "J's", is in the beginning area of a gynormus uber upscale area, and across the street from a private special kind of school.  It has its own water fountain in the lake in front, that is framed by the window in one of the studio rooms, within The Studio!

The two "J's" are ever so generously and unconditionally offering me what is the opportunity of a lifetime even if only to be more involved within their lives.  I'm so blessed to have been lead into the lives of the women of our bead group, which continues to evolve.  When we open in 2-3 weeks, the bead group will start meeting at "The Studio".  The Studio will rent the main space for artists to teach classes, and likely the three of us will be teaching classes too!

The three of us have our own spaces, I will be sub-leasing my space from them.  We here at home are going to rent out what I've been using for my studio (apartment/large efficiency), as was done for many, many years before we tired of it and eventually this became my studio.  The rent for this place will cover the cost of me moving to The Studio and then some, therefore will not be a burden.

So, on the 15th, we will start some minor renovations as we each begin to move our “stuff” in.

They both have awesome contacts that will be invited to our open house, and the exposure as a selling venue in a B&M is hoped to fair well for us all!

And get this... the numbers in our address add up to my lucky number!!!  Speaking of lucky, below are some interesting idea's:

Upcycled Green Number 11 Tshirt Purse

Denny Hamlin Nascar Dangle Earrings

I-Ching Number 11 - Prospering, Peace

Friday Funny

I HAVE JUST ONE QUESTION...

Wordless Wednesday

Fish necklace...

Yes, thats my hubby!

Sundays Silence

What does your sleep position reveal about your personality?

These days, the way that I sleep simply says, "I am happy to be single and spending five to seven hours sprawled out in the center of my bed alone."



At other points, my tightly squeezed eyes and curled-up body would have screamed, "I know the baby will wake up/someone will start snoring/the alarm will begin blaring as soon as I finally, finally, finally get to sleep."


Years and years ago, the corpse-looking college student still in her clothes would have mumbled something like, "Finals. Boys. Beer."


Our lives, the amount of sleep we get, and how well we actually rest during those nighttime hours may change drastically over time. However, one sleep researcher says that our body position in bed could say something about who we are, not just what else is happening in our lives.


Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, says that a study of 1,000 Brits revealed that the six most common sleeping positions are indicative of personality types.


If this sounds ridiculous (and honestly, I'd love to see information on this study and the analysis fleshed out further than any of the reports I could find), consider that Idzikowski says it comes down to body language.


"We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious posture says about us," Idzikowski said. "What's interesting is that the profile behind the posture is often very different from what we would expect."


The research also links certain sleeping positions with health risks. Some aid digestion while others spur on snoring and restlessness.

Here are the six common sleeping positions and correlated personality traits and health implications, according to this study.


Fetus position - A whopping 41% of participants sleep in this curled-up manner. Women are twice as likely to rest like this and it is listed as the most common position. These sleepers are said to have a tough exterior but are still sensitive and may appear to be shy but warm up quickly.



Log position - If you sleep on your side with both arms down, you are a social, easy-going person who is trusting, sometimes to the point of being gullible. The study showed 15% of people sleep like a log.


Yearner position - A close third is the side-lying position with both arms out in front of the body, with 13% of partipants sleeping like this. Yearners are noted to be open-minded and still cynical, suspicious, and stubborn about sticking to decisions once they are made.


Soldier position - These sleepers lie on their backs with arms down and kept close to the body. This 8% study is said to be reserved, quiet, without fuss, and hold themselves and others to a high standard. Soldier sleepers have a higher likelihood for snoring due to the flat-back position, which may not cause them to wake up often but may result in a less restful night's sleep.


Freefall position - Those people who lie on their bellies with arms under or wrapped around a pillow with head turned to the side, make up 7% of the population studied. Freefallers are brash, outgoing, and are very uncomfortable with criticism.


Starfish position - Sleepers who lie on their backs with arms up near their head or the pillow account for 5% of participants. These people are good listeners, helpful, and are uncomfortable being the center of attention. People who sleep in starfish position are more likely to snore and to suffer from a poor night's sleep more often.


If you think you are one of those people who move through all of these positions, that's not likely to really be the case. Idzikowski said the research reveals most people stay in the same position all night and only 5% lay differently night by night. Also interesting is that the study showed only one in ten people cover their bodies entirely with a blanket, with most people exposing an arm, leg, or both feet.


Let's see how the Shine readers are resting these days. No need to get yourself to a sleep lab or set up the video cam to run all night. We'll take your word for it on our own not-so-scientific but still fascinating research.


What position do you sleep in? Use the poll to tell us and the comments to reveal whether the personality traits linked to the way you sleep are right on or really off.

by Jessica Ashley, Shine staff, on Mon Apr 26, 2010

Caturday - being attacked by one brave bird!

A bird a day keeps the doctor away...