Sheep in the pasture

Yesterday I finished my fourth oil painting. I took a picture of these sheep in a pasture near my son's home. I knew it would make a good oil painting. 

Snow at Dawn

 

As you can see we had quite a snowfall yesterday.The redeeming thing about it is that it is so beautiful. The fresh snow that mounds over everything and makes the world a white blanket creates an enchanting world. The downside is that the roads were bad and school had to be cancelled. Also cancelled was my Circle of Friends luncheon. No one wanted to go out in it. And to make matters worse we lost power in the am until one and then again from five to seven thirty. I sat in the dark with candles lit reading a book by the light of a flashlight. When the power finally came on our tvs wouldn't work so I spent a half an hour on the phone with a lady from direct TV. The funny thing was that I struck up a conversation with her while we were waiting for the tv to reset itself. I always said people tend to tell me their life story and during the time I was on the phone I learned all about this woman, her knee surgeries, her kids, her home town...everything. It was funny. We chatted like old friends. She was very helpful and now tv is back for us. She lives in Destin, Florida. Destin is haunting me for some reason. You know how when you learn a new word you start seeing it everywhere. Or when you get a new car that you see so many of them on the road? Well, that is the was with Destin. I saw it in a magazine once. It is a town on the Gulf side of Florida up in the Panhandle. It looked like a nice place to visit. Then I began seeing it in a lot of magazines and online. I think that city wants me to visit it. And maybe I will.

Yesterday I made a flower arrangement using the urn that I had purchased. I thought I'd create a series of pictures as I went along and do a step by step tutorial for you all. So I did....only to find out that I had not replaced the chip in the camera!!! Oh well, nice try. But here is the finished arrangement.

 

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Snow gifs

It looks like a lot of snow is headed our way tonight. Don't you love the gif? I had forgotten about using these in my blog and rediscovered them while I was searching for my techie answer. So for your entertainment here are a few more.

Technical difficulties

A big thanks for the help to make my header picture bigger. Thanks to Tessa who gave me the idea to resize my picture before putting it into the header. I just didn't know how to do that. But I did find an online site called resizepic. All you do is put in your picture and choose a size. Then save it...couldn't have been easier.
   I wrote it down in my trusty notebook that sits by my computer. My sister gave me that hint...don't write things on post it notes..you'll have a million of them. Write it down in a notebook.  At least everything will be there..you'll just have to look for it.
   I've been blogging since 2006 and I'm still learning.

Making an appearance.. Mr. Cardinal

My favorite weather is bird chirping weather.

A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.  Maya Angelo

Techie question

Do you ever run into a problem on your computer and wish there was just someone to ask? That is me. I'm having a tech problem with blogging so I'm asking anyone out there with just a little more knowledge than I have to see if anyone can solve my issue.


Here it is:
Before getting my new computer with Windows 10 I used Windows Live Writer to compose my posts and put them into Blogger. It worked great and I loved it because you could drag and drop pictures from the Photo Gallery easily. 
  But when I tried installing Windows Live Writer on my new computer it was not compatible with the system. It took me a long time to research that and find that out. 
  So: first question...does anyone know how to get around that and install it.  Does anyone have it on their Windows 10?

Second question:
  Now I am using the Blogger platform to make my posts by clicking on the "new post" words at the top of the blog posts. It's ok but adding images is a problem since my internet is slow. It takes more time than I want. So I would like to drag and drop them from the gallery. Is that possible? I've tried everything and can't do it. Can anyone help with that?

I can copy a picture (like below) from the internet and paste it in, but can't copy from the gallery.

Is anyone using any other way of blogging to Blogger?

If you can help I'd be so grateful. I love blogging but hate change. Especially when the thing in the past worked so well.

THE FAB FOUR

Today we are off to see the Fab Four. I am taking my friend Kay for her birthday to the concert at our local casino. It'll be a great time. Kay and I have been friends since high school and this will really be a throwback for us. We've shared a lot of this music together in our younger days.

happy Valentine's Day

It's a day of love, a day of thoughtfulness, a day to remember those who mean a lot to you. This day is for you, dear readers. You are the ones who come to visit and read about my life. You support me with your comments and that means so much. I have found internet friends and though miles separate us I feel like we are pen pals. And my family and local friends who visit are so welcomed. My love is sent out to each of you this day. You are all a part of my life and are cherished for that. As my best friend used to say I am sending you hugs through the computer.

So here for you is what I think is the most romantic love song ever along with the sexiest movie scene of all time.It still gives me chills...don't cry now.

Clickin' with the bluejays and golfinches

I love to get out my DSLR camera! This morning the birds were taking advantage of the seed in the feeders. They have been at it all morning and need fuel for the temperature this morning is 3 degrees. I took some pictures and then used Photoshop to add effects.

A little touch of France

Ever since I took some trips to France I have been in love with adding a few French touches to my home. Throughout the years I have incorporated these little things into my decor.

Sometimes it is just as simple as a ribbon with French script. Here is sits atop a wire tower with fleur de lis. The angel is a reminder of my best friend that passed away last year.

A different ribbon adorns my vase of faux calla lillies.

I even like to set my table with a French theme. This silver and taupe cloth is not actually a tablecloth. It's a shower curtain. When I saw it I knew it would be just right for my French table.

 

I even used the shower curtain rings as napkin rings.

 

I thought this laurel candle holder went well with the theme as well as the little silver ball garland.

My slipcovers from Pier One fit in just right.

 

You can see that I still have my branches up from Christmas time.

Other little touches are in the sunroom too. Little bird houses on the amaryllis, lavendar and a crown on the baker's rack, and a silver trophy urn holding a white tulip arrngement.

I must admit I overdo it a little but I love seeing all the vignettes tht remind me of a wonderful time.

 

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Rituals

Do you have a daily ritual? Many people write in their journals first thing in the morning. Or keep a certain schedule throughout the day. And some drink tea. 

 In the winter there is nothing better than tea. I try to have my tea time at three o'clock each day. I'm not a fanatic about it so if I miss it that's ok. But there is something special about fixing a cup and having a little nosh about that time.



Maybe it's the warmth. Maybe it's the taste. Maybe it's the honey but something about pouring a steaming cup just gets in your soul.



I use a small tray with French tiles and wire handles to carry my tea to a chair. I have a certain old silver spoon and a small white ceramic square for my tea bag. I use a cast iron Japanese style teapot which holds just two cups...just right..and keeps the second cup hot until I am ready for it. I love a red square mug with black inside and Chinese figures on the outside. I wonder what it says.

Tea time is nice but if you combine it with a great book it gets even better.

My fitness Pal

Like a lot of people this time of year I am looking to eating heathier and losing weight. I know that tracking what you consume is the only way to really know if you are overeating or eating the wrong things. I've tried a lot of different ways to track from just keeping a diary to printing out pages to check off. But the easiest thing I've ever tried is a website called My Fitness Pal. There is also an app.

It couldn't be easier to have a record of what you are eating. You set your own goal and then daily go to the site and just put in what you eat from a huge list of foods. Over five million foods in their database. All the brands are there. I even found the hamburger cabbage casserole that I had last night for dinner. You choose the meal, choose the food and add it. It's that easy. It also tells you the amounts of carbs, proteins, calories and sugars you have for each meal and totals them for the day. Then it lets you know if you are over or under your requirement for the calories.

It dosn't tell you what to eat, but it makes it very easy to see what you are doing. You can go back and look at previous days. I know being aware is the first step to eating better. Give it a try.

 

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Watch me whip, Watch me nae nae

I was sent the cutest video the other day I just had to share it with you. I completely missed out on the whip/nae nae craze that went around last summer. All the kids evidently were doing it and adults too. How did I not know that?
 Sometimes I feel I miss out on things because I don't have young people in my house. I don't know much of the popular music, fashion trends or dances. Yes, I'm old...a grandmother..does that mean I'm out of touch? I guess so.

Do you know what I love, love, love about the internet? When I can learn something new. Today I visited Dewena's Window, a favorite blog of mine. She had on a quote from Faith Baldwin that sung to my heart.

"I have grown to enjoy a bad day, even with thick snow and zero temperatures,

if I am indoors.

It is satisfying to sit by a window, nursing a cup of tea,

hearing the fire snap on the hearth,

and watching the wild-white world outside,

kept at bay by good walls and insulation...

The winter weather is conducive to hard work;

I don't want to go anywhere,

and seldom can.

The cupboard is stocked, and the freezer.

So I stay home and work."

Faith Baldwin

I had never heard of Faith Baldwin so I googled her and this is what I found.

Faith Baldwin

 

Born

in New Rochelle, New York, The United States

October 01, 1893

Died

March 18, 1978

Genre

Romance

Faith Baldwin attended private academies and finishing schools, and in 1914-16 she lived in Dresden, Germany. She married Hugh H. Cuthrell in 1920, and the next year she published her first novel, Mavis of Green Hill. Although she often claimed she did not care for authorship, her steady stream of books belies that claim; over the next 56 years she published more than 85 books, more than 60 of them novels with such titles as Those Difficult Years (1925), The Office Wife (1930), Babs and Mary Lou (1931), District Nurse (1932), Manhattan Nights (1937), and He Married a Doctor (1944). Her last completed novel, Adam's Eden, appeared in 1977.

She was a little before my time but I like her quotes...