* Tea Cup Tuesday - Part 2 *

Well, I finally finished making all the birthday cards for June, took them to the post office and hope they will arrive in time! I swear, I keep saying I won't let the due dates sneak up on me anymore...but this time, I mean it! I need to begin tomorrow making the ones for July!

Enough of that.....

Before I forget, I took photos to show the bottom stamps on the cup & saucer, that are shown in the post immediately following this one. (Thus the name, Part 2!)

This is the bottom of the plate/saucer. It has the crossing arrows or whatever they are called, plus an indentation of the number 53, which kind of looks like a 33 here, but it's definitely a 53. Also, to the left of the arrows, there is another indentation that looks kind of a like a capital D in cursive, plus something else I couldn't make out.

This is the bottom of the cup and if it looks strange it's because I had to take the picture kind of upside down and backwards to get that number 4 to show up clearly! (I really gotta get a better camera!)

* Thanks to Terri  at Artful Afirmations and her comment below, asking about the stamps on the bottom of these. I had forgotten to take those photos!

Okay.......Gotta pry myself away from this laptop for awhile, but I'll be back sometime later.......As usual, I have lots to say!

“A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large.” -- Unknown

* It's Tea Cup Tuesday *

* Because I wanted to participate in today's Tea Cup Tuesday, I'm repeating a blog post from June 2010 *

Okay, although I have 10 million things going on right now, I just have to participate in Terri's and Martha's Tea Cup Tuesday today! Below are photos of one of my newest antiquing finds!

Isn't this pretty? When it comes to tea cups and tea pots, I really love pink flowers.
Notice the top of the handle. It's a serpent's head, with its mouth clamping onto the cup. Isn't that unusual?

The "back" side of the cup has these tiny flowers......

While the "front" side has the larger flower.

That's it for today. Hope y'all enjoyed my little treasure (which cost less than $3.00...it has a tiny chip!)

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." - Robert Brault

* Eeeek! It's Almost the Middle of June! *

I really do hope to get something posted before the night is over. There's so much going on right now!

I see a lot of my blog buddies are having contests because they have reached different milestones in the number of their Followers. Congrats to everyone concerned!

I'd love to post something for Tea Cup Tuesday, since I actually already took some photos and all I have to do is upload them and write a little something.

I had hoped to participate in Micro Fiction Monday, but I haven't even had a chance to see what the prompt is for today!

I have submissions I'm working on that need to be sent sometime soon.

PLUS, I'm still finishing up my birthday card project for June. They have to be there by this Wednesday, the 16th, so I'm determined to finish them tonight, and mail them first thing tomorrow! If not, I'll be hand-delivering them on Wednesday!

Oh, and I have an adorable video of a bunny that I hope to get posted sometime soon!

Ooohhh, I know it's bad to start every sentence with "I"....but I couldn't figure out any other way to do it!

"Calendars are for careful people, not passionate ones." -- Chuck Sigars

** If It's Past Midnight....It Must Be Sunday **

Happy Sunday Morning! Ever since I woke up Saturday morning at 6:00am, I've been planning to write on my blog. I managed to read my newest comments and respond to those. Thank you all so much! I browsed through a few blogs here and there and read my new e-mail.

One of those e-mails was from She Writes, congratulating me on being approved for membership! It looks like a wonderful site for writers in all genres, in all cities and countries. I haven't had much time to check it out completely, but it looks like a place I'd suggest to all my Writer-Gal-Pals! Just click on the button on the right, or on the link above.

Have any of you tried out Bloggers new "Template-Background" thingy?! All I can say is: BEWARE! There doesn't seem to be a "Trial" button, or a "Go back, I don't like this one!" button. It doesn't come with very clear instructions, either, in my mind. I found a really cute one I wanted to try out. It didn't do what it was supposed to do and it looked terrible. The more I tried to "fix" it, the worse it got. I don't know how I got back to my most recent (and present) one, but thank goodness I did! I also saw quite a few comments saying the same things on another blog...so again: Beware!

I have other things I want to write about, but those can wait until later Sunday, or maybe even Monday.
For now, I have a mahhhhhvelous poem by one of my newest writer-blogger-buddies: Susan Noyes Anderson.  Sue has both a blog and a website and she is happy to share her poetry, provided the copyright information is clearly visible, which I'm very happy to do! I'm also including the links to both her blog and her website.

I chose this particular poem because it pretty much "Tells It Like It Is" concerning my relationship with my "current" body these days!


Renewing the Vows

©1996 by Susan Noyes Anderson, Poetpourri

I almost divorced my body

a couple of years ago.

Certainly, we were separated.

Irreconcilable differences.

Growing in different directions.

It, wider and older.

I, wiser and bolder.

(there was no consensus on this)

We got down to dividing

community property

and hit a snag.

Several, actually.

Limbs, lungs, kidneys,

ovaries, breasts––

Matched sets, all of them.

Not recommended for removal.

To be separated only in case

of medical emergency.

So we worked it out.

Cut each other some slack.

Rebonded. Rebounded.

Reached an understanding.

Made a commitment.

I take this body.

To have and to hold.

From this day forward.

As long as we both shall

Live.

It’s not perfect, but

consider the alternative.

"You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they get older." -- Anouk Aimee

** IT'S MY 300th POST **

I just noticed earlier this evening that I had 299 posts on my blog, which I began November 10, 2008. At that time, I didn't think I needed or wanted a blog, but a few writer friends encouraged me, especially Karrie McAllister! Thank you, Karrie! When I accept my Blogger Award (someday) I'll say in my acceptance speech, that I owe it all to you!!

Karrie received the Number One Thank You because she told me about blogspot in the first place, gave some suggestions, and promptly answered any questions I had.....all by e-mail. That's because Karrie lives in Ohio and she and I have never met (in person, that is!) If I remember correctly, I first contacted Karrie by e-mail when I came across her fabulous writing online somewhere.....don't know where or when that was, but what a wonderful writer/person/friend I met!!

I have more to say....as usual....but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

"Authentic female friendship is when we allow another woman to see our core, go to our core, and risk sharing our souls." -- Sue Monk Kidd

Remember just two days ago when I wrote about the awesome deal for address labels going on at Vista Prints? I received my order already today! And I didn't pay for express shipping. They are adorable! I even took a picture to show them off! They are 2-1/2" x 3/4", pale yellow striped background, with a stack of books!! (I cut off my address, just for privacy reasons.) Aren't they cute?? If y'all e-mail your addresses to me, I'll send you a hand-written note! *Update: I just checked the website and it appears this particular special is over, but they do have other special pricing, so if you're interested, give it a look!

I forgot to mention that last Wednesday, June 2nd, I participated in a Career Day at one of my grandsons' schools. He is in the 3rd Grade and I spoke to three different 3rd grade classes about being a writer. Each presentation was only 20 minutes and everything went as planned. The kids had good questions and comments and grandson, Scotty, seemed pretty proud of his grandma! I love talking to kids about "going for their dreams", at any age, etc. I always take one or two of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books that I have stories in, a couple newspaper columns, a literary magazine that I have an article in, etc. I also took some "school papers" that I thought they might like. I handed them out toward the end of each session and hopefully at least some of them took them home! I have fun typing them up....I feel like a real teacher! ☺

This paper asks what they learned from me. What kinds of books do they like to read. Do they write in a journal, or would they like to. It also says to ask their parents or grandparents or adult relative to tell them some things about their lives when they were young, and maybe have them write down their memories for them, etc. I told them how I wished I had something like that now, because people didn't really think about those things when I was young. Anyway, it was great fun and they were so well behaved.

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One more thing. Pal Donna at Donna's Book Pub posted some time ago about an upcoming Call for Submissions for a contest by Mozark Press. The deadline had been May 30th, but has been extended to June 15th, which is next Tuesday. This sounds really neat and I hope to get something sent in. The name of the contest is: A Shaker of Margaritas: Hot Flash Mommas. Fiction, Fun, and Forties Writing Contest.

Hmmm....I haven't read the small print. I hope it's okay to be older than "forties"!

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Oh! One more thing!! I came across a pretty fabulous looking site earlier today. Do you ever "Google" yourself? It's good to do from time to time, to see if there's any incorrect or bad information "out there" about you. I found out that my blog is on this site called NewPages.com! This link will take you directly to the blogs listed. There must be hundreds of them....and I'm one of them! I swear I've never heard of this site before, so I don't know how I wound up there. They have Contest Magazines, Contests Books, Calls For Submissions, etc. Tons of places that were new to me! Give it a look....you just might find The Perfect Place to submit your work!!

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence." -- Helen Keller

Tid Bit Tuesday - Part 2 - My Sister, Jo Ann

When I wrote the first part of Tid Bit Tuesday, my deceased sister Jo Ann was also on my mind, due to a couple of reasons. Obviously when I saw the huge sign on the old Circuit City building that read Jo-Ann's Fabrics, I thought of her. There's various ways to spell Jo Ann, and most of the time they aren't spelled like hers.

The other reason was because she died in the month of June, 1984. I never remember the date of someone's death. I only remember their birth dates. Conscious decision or not? I'm not sure. Anyway, after seeing the Jo-Ann's Fabrics sign, I decided I really needed to know. I needed and wanted to know the date she lost her battle with cancer.

I e-mailed my other sister, my brother and sister-in-law, etc. My sister replied first, that she too didn't know the exact date. (Well, I guess I'm not so weird after all.) After I read her reply, I went downstairs to our basement, walked directly over to a junky dresser where old birthday cards, photographs, kids' school work, etc. are kept and found what I was looking for. After only 5 minutes or less, I uncovered Jo Ann's obituary, in perfect condition. It had been clipped from a newspaper, was folded nicely and obviously quite yellow with age.

I scanned over it quickly.....yes, she was born on such and such a date.....Then there it was, ..."passed away June 8, 1984.."

Oh my gosh! Today! Today is the 8th of June. HOW did I seem to know that? WHY did I become so determined to find out? WHAT or WHO led me to the exact place I must've looked numerous times before?

Y'all know I like to talk about my Twilight Zone moments. This is one for the books, as the saying goes. Help me, though. I'd really like to give a better, more meaningful name to what I've experienced over the past 24 Hours or so.

"My god, you've lost your mother." -- what a therapist said when I told her about my relationship with Jo Ann.
(I was devastated when she died. She was 16 years older than me. She was my sister, my friend, my mother)

** Tid Bit Tuesday **

Since I didn't get around to taking any pictures of my newest tea cup finds, I won't be participating in today's Tea Cup Tuesday. Instead, my title is: Tid Bit Tuesday....because that's exactly what this is.

Have you ever been listening to your car radio, and the time and the station numbers are the same? And for a minute, you click the button a couple of times, thinking something's wrong with it. Then you figure it out! That happened to me again the other day. It's so weird! It was exactly 10:33 and the radio station was 103.3.  Other times, it's been 10:25, and I'm listening to 102.5....Wacky!!

For those of you that live in my area, did you notice that a business is moving into the Circuit City store that was vacated last year....the one next to Best Buy and Mid Rivers Mall?? It's Jo-Ann's Fabrics! I hardly ever think to shop at Jo-Ann's, and I guess I'm not on their mailing list anymore. They usually do have some great bargains in their craft and decor items. That's what I go there for. Unfortunately, I cannot sew, or quilt, or crochet, or knit. (those things all require talent AND counting) I used to enjoy doing the old-fashioned cross stitch...the kind where the X's were stamped onto the fabric. I don't want to have to COUNT to figure out where my next stitches go.....thank you very much! Most of you know I have a problem with COUNTING. Math and I do not get along!

(borrowed from Ms. Sparkle-Farkle)

 

"The greatest unsolved theorem in mathematics is why some people are better at it than others." -- Adrian Mathesis