OK, I've got like 4 or 3 things now..

..so here's a mixed bag of nuts...

From Wikipedia..

• The phrase "mixed nuts" is also used to indicate a mixture of disparate elements other than nuts, as in the following blog...(they didn't really say that last part in Wikipedia)

• ...which brings to mind yet another question....
  

  What Does Wiki Stand For In WikiPedia?

  * the word "wiki" is Hawaiian based which means quick. Got it.

That reminds me..my Mother used to like Bridge mix..she didn't pay bridge, but she liked Bridge mix. Daddy was all about the cashews..with Mr. B it's almonds..

Anyway, tonight's blog is just that..it's tonight..it's a blog..and it's 'mixed nuts"


Focus.

First...DID YOU SEE I WON A GORGEOUS QUILT???

Just look at this beauty..just look..'cos I WON IT!

Well I did :-)

From Melinda of ...
http://melindasfabricfancies.blogspot.com

Go see her beautiful and sooo creative quilts..but don't enter the contest because.....heeheehee....I WON !!

Ha!

Thank you so veeeeery much. I've always LOVED quilts and have such regard for quilters (and the patience..and the good eyes..and their TIME..) but knew I didn't have any of the requirements...patience, eyes, time..and I don't do math, so to actually tackle one of these masterpieces myself, well, it's not going to happen.

..thought I'd be Quiltless in Utah..hey..that's a great movie title! Yeah..and Meg Ryan could totally play me! Or maybe Aunt Bea...

Melinda, please know this quilt will be loved and cared for and kept in my heart for always :-)

So, then there's the second thing...I'm having a Pampered Chef party this Saturday..and I know, I know, most of you won't be in the neighborhood...butI'm serving lunch! And, you can meet the incredible Mr. B...??


{seriously, if you ARE going to be in the Sandy area, email me for directions}

OK, but..did you know you can order on-line and it will count towards my party? AND, they will send it to you?

Shut up!

Now, even better....cookware is an awesome 20% off :-) Yeah, who loves ya baby..

Go to this link and look at the yummy stuff..and if you're like me, I usually can get only one piece at a time, so this would be a great time to get the 20% off and not have to go to some one's lame party from work just because you need one pizza stone...am I right??...


..uh..except the girls I invited from my work..yeah..you will still need to come to my lame party..

Just go here and enter my name (Colleen Blake) as the host(ess) and you'll be all set..
http://www.pamperedchef.biz/jennysdinnertable

And..thanks :-)

So, now #C...what was it....think..think..think...

OH! I'm going to have a supper-dupper-really-neat-o giveaway soon...this is an awesome offering (not hand made, but...)

..so stay tuned for a chance to win....whatever.....

Sweet dreams, thank you all for the healing thoughts, prayers and blessings. Thanks Melinda for making me squeal like a little girl at work when I found out I won the quilt..

..and thank the good Lord it's almost Friday !!

-me

You know, you try to raise them right, let 'em grow up to be cowgirls..

..and leave them alone for a minute..and what do they do?

Find tanks in the dessert.

Huh..

You heard me. Tanks. In the dessert. Tanks in the desert. Tanks.

Not "thanks for the dessert" .

No, not these two. Tanks. In the dessert.

Kathy visiting Gerri..support for hard times, yes? Yeah, that's what I thought too. And she was. Support.

But, in our family, the "oh poor me" parties are very short lived.

So, it's up & at 'em and let's go for a ride!


The conversation they had with me went something like this...


Kathy: Yes, it was a beautiful ride. It's been a long time..


me: Great! I'll bet the desert is really great right now. See any snakes or coyotes?


Kathy: Nope. Just tanks.


me: Thanks for what?

Kathy: No tanks..you know..like in GI Joe..only bigger.

me: Wha??

Kathy: TANKS Colleen...

me: THANKS FOR WHAT??

Kathy: No..t.a.n.k.s... The Air Force in Tucson uses them in the desert for target practice.

me: What are you talking about??

Kathy: The tanks..

me: {thinking scenes from Abbott & Costello} Grrrr...OK, there were tanks in the desert???

Kathy: Uh huh..

me: and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base uses them for "target practice"??


Kathy: Uh huh..

me: and you two stopped to have you photo taken by them????? You're kidding me right??

Kathy: Nope. They weren't flying that day..


me: Oh goodie! So, my two biddy-sisters, while receiving crummy news, are out riding horses, in the desert, with tanks that the US Air Force is NOT shooting at...that day???

Kathy: Yeah. Pretty much. You know they don't have much shopping around here right?


OK, so later I learned they are for "sight" practice..you know..

"OK men - Go find the tanks in the desert..there right by those two old biddies on horseback..can't miss 'em.."

What a sister to do...

-me

Prayer Request..

My BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 DNA test came out negative...

...my breast cancer was not hereditary..just happenstance.

And happenstance has visited my sister Gerri, who now has breast cancer.


Yes. She has cancer, too. And Larry is still in the throws of his battle.

So extra strength is needed by all family members and all loved ones. We could use a little help in the healing energy you all have.

So whether you are near or far..please send up healing and loving thoughts for my sister and my brother....

In this dark hour,
golden forces muster
to greet all semblance of fear,

to cast spiritual light upon the darkness
and make discord disappear,

sweet dear,
such is the mighty power
within your heart-felt prayer,

as we become comrades
in the common endeavor
of allegiance to life,

through whatever strife
the world may deliver,

we are larger,
we are larger,

than any illusion
of time-bound terror.

-Gordon Neumann

-me

Lovely Saturday for leaf-peeping and fishie watching!

So that's exactly what we did. Peeped at leaves and watched fishies. In the Uinta mountains of Utah - only about 45 minutes from our home we found this...

And to think we've lived in Utah for about 16 years..we still find new places to go. This time, it was one of Mr. B's co-workers that suggested Cascade Springs..and my co-worker suggested another place we'll need t try next time.

They are like mini-vacations. Close enough to home to be quite do-able and yet far enough from the day-to-day to make it really enjoyable.

We receive quite a startle..I like that word..startle..and I know I've said it before I just don't remember every writing it our previously..I like-y!

Oh, so we were on a quite narrow road uphill on a curve. There was a slight bend to the left and a truck coming down as we went up ...very close..very carefully, when all of a sudden we see a bicyclist come flying downhill passing the truck on the left...which made him on a direct line with us on the right going up, to be a hood ornament on my car!He squeeeeeezed in between and just kept on going..and all I could think of was my heart trying to beat out of my chest..it was awful!


Stopped at a little house/restaurant in Midway Utah and had a great salad and meatballs (ordered ala carte...not on the salad..) Grandma Evelyn had pizza and salad..Mmmm..

Then it was on home and a restful afternoon.

Hope yours was great and if you are a bicyclist or know a bicyclist, or want to become a bicyclist, please remember you are not the only ones on the road and yes, you do still have to obey the traffic laws. Besides, having an accident with one of you would severely interfere with my week-end plans.

Besides, I'd have to slap you around just for being stupid...

-me

Have you seen the SWEET art of....

....Artistic Accents by Darla?? Go there. See pretty. Be impressed. Leave happier.

http://artisticaccentsbydarla.blogspot.com/


And I was awarded this Premio MeMe by Darla. So, even though I'm supposed to write 7 little known facts about me {haven't I told you guys eVEryThIng?? } I am supposed to pass it along to 7 bloggers.

I love the lot of ya and consider yourself "Awarded"

OK - here goes...

1. I was raised in Arizona..
...not to be confused by the movie Raising Arizona..

..which was not the story of me..

..while I was being ...raised in Arizona.



2. While there, we waised wabbits....uh raised rabbits.


And not for..you know..dinner. For pets. And chocolate chips.

3. One of my most irrational fears is being hit by something invisible..{think Wonder Woman's airplane..} while crossing the street. I know. Irrational..wait..what? Oh, sounded like you mumbled... 'crazy'..

Anyway, even though the plane was invisible...SHE was not. What's up with that? ...


"Oh, here comes some kind of object that I can't see and a costumed woman that I can see is steering it!"

4. Like Darla, I cry easily. Very easily. Sometimes when I'm mad, I cry. And that makes me madder, so I cry more.

And people think I'm a big cry baby when really, I mad as hell*.


5. I never swear. ...Almost. Almost never....

..OK... when I get really mad and I am crying and getting madder, I can swear. I don't...but I could. Sometimes I do. But then I feel really badly.


*hell is not a swear word...it's a destination..just to be clear. See #4


6. I love peanut butter and mayo sandwiches..

... on soft Wonder bread.

If you add a slice of bologna and a leaf of lettuce, I'd love it even more. I know..I know..

7. I used to sell my oil paintings to supplement my wages when I was a single Mom.


Sometimes they weren't even dry. Right off my Father-in-law's restaurant walls.

{the paintings..not the kids..}

Where I waited tables. And met Mr. B. And, no, this is not the menu..it's for effect..and, yes, that's one of the paintings I painted...very Bob Ross."happy little trees, happy little clouds" style..


I don't have any of the paintings, but I still have Mr. B


OK, there's a few things you may not have known. Heck ...see? I could totally have sworn (swore? swored?) here!.. anyway,I may have learned a thing or two about me. ..myself...and I?

Have a fun Saturday. We're taking a fall drive up the mountains to Cascade Springs in Utah. Google it. It's pretty...

-me

OK, so sometimes it may be a stretch...

...you know, the whole "good news network" thing...and having to hear 'challenging' news about people you care about...

Got this in my email this morning..yes, I do get personalized messages from the Universe..don't you?

Without challenge, Colleen, adventure is impossible.

Tally ho,

The Universe

"Hmm"..says me.."challenge....good word...tough concept."


It's sometimes a challenge to stay the course in my healthy eating. But, it is what's best. So I do try. The adventure?

Maybe trying new foods and making fun discoveries (Greek yogurt, Y.U.M.-O.)

{Proceed with caution. Resistance is futile. Greek yogurt will claim your heart}

It's sometimes a challenge to remain optimistic in a pessimistic world..But, it is what's best. So I do try. Can there be adventure there?

Yes. Finding support and friendship, looking to uplifting quotes, stories and images. Writing out one's feelings, and knowing you are not alone...


And it's definitely a challenge to get to work on time in the beautiful fall mornings...and I know it's what's best...but oh, the challenge...to remain just a wee bit longer in the cool morning air..


...to appreciate the quiet of the neighborhood..


...to smell the cool, fresh air and to have nothing but time...


Oh crap....Sorry, I gotta get to work...


Have a fantastic day and think about what challenges you, or your loved ones may be facing...and what adventures they may bring..

Tally Ho!

-me