rekindled spirit

suprise fresh snow this week after weeks of this - just in time for the moon’s birthday- perfect for a walk that lifted our spirits -

just in time for a polar festival over at be.dream.&.play - in eb’s words: create whatever comes most naturally to you -  a photo, a journal page, a painting, a story, a poem… whatever you would like to share...get more details here

a big smile, a huge hug and a thank you to dear amy (check out her wednesday whispers this week)- she awarded me the you cheer me up award last week - she perhaps has no idea that she puts a smile on my face everytime i’m over at petticoatlane- so i am re-awarding it to her and to steph, constance, corey, melanie, somepinkflowers, and the original snow queen herself eb! thank you to all of you for being genuine-for being who you are- it cheers me up!!!!

to spread love around the world, lisa oceandreamer, is hosting the 2nd annual one world- one heart giveaway today. each participant is offering up something to give away- something handmade, something special you don’t want to keep anymore, or even a charity donation in the winner’s name- all you have to do to win is leave a comment here and at all the other participants/blogs who have fabulous things to giveaway- the list is here

”chocolate doesn’t make the world go around … but it certainly makes the ride worthwhile”- anonymous

i am offering 3 pieces of delicious chocolate bars- a german, an austrian, and a swiss (not pictured above)-  click here  check out what else there is to win- have fun!!!

________________________________________________________________________

my giveaway contest is closed. it is not fair and not very nice to do this without warning but i will not be available after today- feb 10th in order to announce on the 14th- i apologize. 

at 91 comments i decided to pick 2 winners instead of one which i did using a random number generator that my darling husband programmed for me-  : )

the winners are number 9 and number 73!

congratulations to angie of quillysillys vintage paper boutique (too funny, she lives in my home state of texas) and melissa of altered faireys -   i will leave you with this quote- i wish i could remember who said it-

strength is breaking a chocolate bar into four squares and eating just one

enjoy your chocolate bars ladies!

 work of the sun                                              and the moon

here are some staying warm inside fireside creations- i present the first of the winter 2007-2008 masterpieces by the sun and the moon.

and……… 

better late, than never- i was tagged by somepinkflowers a couple several weeks ago and never got around to it- but i did not forget! here are my answers

four jobs i have had

i waited tables- which was a lotof fun- not to mention the biggest lesson: how to treat your waiter/ess. everyone should wait tables at least once in their life!

i then was a kindergarten teacher’s assistant until

i landed a research analyst position at an executive search firm where i conducted corporate research and did the foot work for recruiters

which propelled me into a technical recruiting career throughout the nineties until we started our family

today i employ myself- i provide new business development and marketing communication services in english. i incorporated myself last october and started the new year with 3 clients- not bad for a one woman show!

four places i have lived

dallas, tx

athens, greece

jeddah, saudi arabia

asmara, eritrea

four favorite foods

pico de gallo. that’s all i can think of right now- probably because it’s hard to get your hands on fresh cilantro in the winter here.

four places i have been on holiday

montafon, austria

south tyrol, italy

guadelupe mountains national park, tx

ocho rios, jamaica

four places i would rather be

nowhere. there is absolutely nowhere that i would rather be!

i am tagging traute, over at spirit’s soap art and amy at petticoatlane

bette davis

my love for the great gatsby ignited into a love of many things from this bygone era: the clothes, the silent films, the music, the dancing,  and the hair!!! ever wondered how to get 1930s fingerwaves? new zealander amy over at petticoat lane posted a “how to” last week (which i will definitely try on my big hair).  you can see more of her “i love everything retro and vintage” collections here. she also features wednesday whispers every week, my absolute favorite! it’ll take you down memory lane for sure (recently brought me memories of my holly hobbie tin lunch box i carried to school as a kid!)

word storm::tinker art

tinker serenades her art with her writing, or vice versa. which ever way it is, she is one hell of a creative writer….deeply wise, wonderfully insightful; and delightfully humourous.  i especially love what she would do if she were queen of the world.  she is also currently working on the next great american novel and i know, it will be great!

dreaming paris::shin of a mermaid

thanks to constance helping me override my blogspot problem, i was one of the three winners of a mermaid’s challenge. woooohoooo!!!  i will recieve a handmade gift prize! the challenge is to pick three people and send them handmade surprizes. so much fun!!

shin of a mermaid is a dutch artist of korean descent (very interesting) and a mother of three that currently resides in england. check out her beautiful art , and must, must, see her daily blips- no dissappointments here, she is a wonderful photographer too.

natural historie::jenny vorwaller

last but not least, queenthings is now natural historie.  wear a slice of nature! jenny in beunos aries has updated her online boutique,  you can now buy direct. one of my favorites is the geometric necklace, truly one of a kind!

what a magical evening! enchanting guests, good food, tasty drinks, pleasing music and a full moon. my feet are killing me! i can’t remember the last time i danced like this! whew!

not to mention, the prince and his entrouge just left after trying to squeeze that lost glass slipper on to my aching foot. ouch! all the while, i protested ” i lost a purse! not a shoe!, i was barefoot !

i was only a little sad because i could not dance with everyone. i cannot leave comments on blogspot! the worst is that it doesn’t even provide an email link! i even got a google account and tried logging on as anonymous. i know it cannot be a problem on my end because i was able to reach belinda. i did some research online and learned that people in pakistan and brzail have reported this problem. there was a suggestion on one page referring to betablogger. it’s either installed or not on these pages.

so,

dear,
annie , 
lauren,
leslie, 
sandra, 
rebecca, 
linda, 
and
lisa, 

it was my pleasure to meet you but if you could please do me a favor and help me figure out how to solve my problem. what is betablogger? and do you have it installed? if not, can you install it? i hope that it is not too much trouble because i would love to visit with you again (and jonah and gisele).

i am still recovering but i have to say i had a ball! thank you so very much for the magic eb!