BRANDY (left) AND BANDIT

Hi All,

Bit of a sad night for me… above is a photo of my grand puppies Brandy and Bandit… Brandy is my oldest daughter Andreas puppy… she has had her for close to 15 years…  Bandit is my youngest daughter Renees puppy…  Brandy came to stay with her aunt while mom was away and unfortunately she passed away today…  its been rough ….  she loved her aunt Nay Nay and was always happy to have a sleep over with her cousin  Bandit … so at least she was in a happy place when it happened…

Her momma rescued her … this sweet little buggar was running wild when her mommy patiently sat for hours with a piece of meat … gradually coaxing Brandy in the door of her home where she ended up living a full and most happy life …

Animals become such an important part of our lives…  they are family to many of us and their loss can be so  difficult…

Gammaw shall miss her so much… she was such a good little girl and a sweet little grand puppy…

HUGS AND KISSES SWEET BRANDY… GAMMAW IS SAD …

RIP SWEET BRANDY GIRL

HUGS TO ALL MY FRIENDS… I will be back soon with a new post and some … what I think to be exciting things to tell

JO

Hi All,

Been a while… I know… been  …. well just been…  anyhow…  I am back … and today I have decicided to join the ranks of a new movement called Meatless Mondays…

What you say is a Meatless Monday?  Well it all started actually during World Wars I and II when the government encouraged people to ration or eliminate meat at least once a week to save money …So  Oprah ….. author Micheal Pollen …..  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Meatless Mondays a non profit originator of Meatless Mondays have decided to start this movement… 

The idea is quite simple… eliminate meat on Mondays… 

They have a fabulous website (link at end of post) with loads of recipes and a bigger explanation of the whole campaign… which basically is to eliminate at least 15% consumption of meat from the diet to promote healthy living and the health of the planet…..  this they say also helps to start your week out on a better level should you over indulge during the weekend…  

I rather like the idea …. I have noticed that I do better when I eat less meat…have more energy …  in a better mood…. now I have a goal to stick to … which then in turn starts the ball rolling for me to eat healthier because as I feel better I dont seem to want to put so much of the unhealthy foods back on my plate… and there are so many other ways to get protein besides meat… by the way this includes eliminating fish and chicken too… 

Ok ok… …. this does not mean I dont like meat ( so meat lovers do not despair) …  I love a good steak ….  had a filet last night stuffed with a cream cheese and butter mixture and herbs (my recipe) ….  along wih broiled crab leg…. my Valentine treat for myself….. just means I am trying to do what I can to make a healthier lifestyle for myself…..

So here is an old standby recipe… that I truly love….  there are so many possibilities as to what you can add to the mix:

Cut up…equal amounts of eggplant…yukon gold potatoes….tomatoes… zucchini….turnips….onions…..lots of whole garlic cloves …. basically any veggie of your choosing… place in a roasting pan….lightly coat with EVOO and pepper… or whatever seasonings you desire…. throw in some fresh basil and a sprig of rosmary… roast in the oven at 425 degrees 1 hour or until golden brown… top with freshly grated parmesean cheese….delish

Now I have to tell you…  I am so excited too because I actually won a giveaway!  Yes… my friend KJ of …  www.eye-dyllic.blogspot.com   is a pampered chef representative and she had a giveaway a while back….  I rarely play along because I usually never win but I did this time and I got the best prize!   A pizza stone with handles!  How neat is that?  Great way to incoporate veggie pizza to my Meatless Mondays! 

PS ignore that ugly green cabinet…. I rent and am toying with the idea of painting …however my landlord doesnt give me a discount for improvements so its something I may have to live with for now…

By the way…. KJ is having another giveaway for some Valentines tea so jump on the bandwagon and sign up…. 

I also have a few  good ideas for recipes for Meatless Monday….  I will share them with you… from time to time…… I know …. I know….I am not real good at blogging however… there is always a first time….

As promised …   www.meatlessmonday.com  

CIAO!  HUGS TO MY DEAR FRIENDS   JO!!

Hello Dear Friends,

Well another year will soon be over…. we will be starting with a clean slate …. working towards new goals… new creations…. new memories to cherish… …

 The year for me has been one  filled with many trials and tribulations….. much happiness … extreme sadness…  especially the past couple months with the loss of my younger sister…. however… with that pain there has been tremendous growth and learning experiences…

I have learned that life is too short and we must take each memory …. each day …. grab onto it and dont let go …. I have saved many things for a rainy day… no longer…  I have been one of those people who only takes out the good china when it’s a holiday….  I have come to realize there may not be a tomorrow ……  one in which to enjoy that china….  or drink out of the crystal goblets….I have learned not to take things for granted …. a fault I think we may all be guilty of to some extent…. I have been trying not to dwell on the past… but rather move forward and live life as best I can…. to let the little things go by the wayside …..  there has been a profound change in me….  there is emptiness… but there is also peace….  truly not something I can explain….  and there has been many many tears …. some yet to come… no doubt…   

The New Year will bring…. for me …..many pieces of the past …..into my beginning  …… things that I still have to deal with for now… but it will also bring renewed hope that the goals I have worked so hard to achieve will finally come to fruition….  one being my boutique which has been at a standstill for a while but one that hopefully will become a reality in the distant future….

I want to say thank you … to all the wonderful blogging friends who have been my rocks… my leaning posts through some tough times…   many whom I have written to when my heart has been aching …. they have never judged … only listened  when I needed a shoulder to cry on …. and others who have been there and been with me from day one of my writing  experience to lift me up and show their support….

I lift those crystal goblets in a  toast to the people who have made a profound difference in my life…

YOU…

May your days be merry and bright…. may the New Year bring you much happiness,  peace,  and love ….

Last year … I posted a list of the way to say Merry Christmas …. in almost any language  …  I think I will keep this a tradition… but before I do… let me say ….. 

From my heart to yours…. Buone Natale…  

To my Jewish friends… Happy Hanukkah .

I will be taking a posting break until after the first of  the year …. if I can I will visit but for now I plan to bake some cookies and enjoy family time…

and dig myself out of the snow…. yes … we got about a foot maybe more…. this is a scene from my back deck…. its beautiful… I do hope you enjoy the list below 

HUGS AND CIAO FOR NOW!  JO   

Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees
Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic: Milad Majid
Argentine: Feliz Navidad
Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal
Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina
Brazilian: Feliz Natal
Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile: Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian: Pace e salute
Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian: Sretan Bozic
Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English: Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi
Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal
Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French: Joyeux Noel
Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician: Bo Nada
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Greek: Kala Christouyenna!
Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri’cho o Rish D’Shato Brichto
Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo’adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Lao: souksan van Christmas
Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian: Prieci’gus Ziemsve’tkus un Laimi’gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un ‘n moi Nijaar
Luxembourgish: Schèine Chreschtdaag an e gudde Rutsch
Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik
Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori: Meri Kirihimete
Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento: Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philippines: Maligayang Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami: Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serbian: Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM
Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye’dun!

Hi All,

I apologize that I havent been up to posting much lately…  however….. I did want to let you all know about this fab opportunity going on over at Dovetales Magazine…

Most of you know the lovely Jo Anne Colletti… of  Vintage Rose Collection fame…. well she also  writes articles for this wonderful magazine and they are now online…. and….. they are offering advertisement for all you beautiful boutique owners … check it out…. 

Below is an excerpt from Jo Annes blog…….

Just when you thought Dovetales Magazine couldn’t get any better, well it just has- Dovetales will be available ONLINE, Tuesday, as a down-loadable color pdf file of the entire issue! This new feature can only be seen on the Dovetales website and will act as a continuing edition of the magazine with links, articles, blogs AND, fantastic advertising opportunities.

Here’s a sneak peek of my article ” Winter Whites” on one of my all time favorite blogs, Anette of Laniff from Sweden. Anette’s gorgeous array of Christmas gifts in a vintage suitcase made the front cover.

Congratulations dear friend!

How cool is that?

 Dont forget to visit Jo Anne at:

www.VintageRoseCollection.com  

LOTS OF HUGS

CIAO FOR NOW

JO

Dear Friends,

While some maintenance was being done on my website … the two posts below concerning my sister were unfortunately … deleted…

I managed to get them back up and my programmer is going to post the comments that he saved…. however,  there may be some that are lost….  please check back in a few days and see if your comment is on there….if not …let me know … or repost your comment if you would ….

Your support has meant a lot to me …. and I would love to print them out and make a small booklet to read when times get a bit tough…

Thank you all for being here for me

JO