RAVE - Wishing you & yours health and happiness.

These cards are reproductions of illuminated manuscript originals, scripted in the tradition of the Book of Kells by artist, Kevin Dillon. For more information on the art Kevin has used - please click here

They can be purchased here.

RAVE- JK Rowling is sooo cool!

I can't believe there's been no mention of this on any other site, besides Amazon, that I've seen in the past couple days. Maybe for once, I'm up to speed with international happenings but I really just happened to have come upon this by accident. Seems Amazon has purchased JK Rowling's handwritten and illustrated book,
The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Sotheby's auctioned it off at a final price of...
1,950,000.
Whew!
Of course, the generous literary genius is donating these funds to The Children's Voice Campaign.

I'm real curious to know what Amazon will do with this priceless work? I can't wait to see the illustrations and read the five tales.

See pics here
See video here

You know I heard she's writing an adult mystery..Are you guys gonna read it and how do you predict it will fare against Harry Potter?

RAVE - More Chick Music...

So sorry Colbie, It's time for me to move on.
Here's some brand new chick music for my peeps.....
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't have any peeps, just a couple of lurkers from Germany & Asia, some fine family members and a handful of faithful blogger buddies:)

Check out this new music from Sara Bareilles
More info here

She has a nice voice and she plays a mean piano. Enjoy!!

RANT- Tis the season for crowded public restrooms...

With all the Christmas shopping that is upon us the following scenario is a very real one that we as women will surely face sometime this month while out doing our shopping. It is freakin hilarious and I apologize that I could not give the writer credit, but it was sent to me via email by my hilarious and germaphobic co-worker who wields Clorox wipes and Lysol spray before entering a room and I think she covers her furniture in plastic as a preventive measure...I'm just kidding!!! She's perfectly normal, even though she does drink antibacterial cucumber-melon soap before every meal. Hey! Don't knock it! I've never seen her with a cold. Who knew?And it's cheaper than echinacea.
Enjoy!

When you have to visit a public restroom, you usually find a line of women, so you smile politely and take your place. Once it's your turn, you check for feet under the stall doors. Every stall is occupied. Finally, a door opens and you dash in, nearly knocking down the woman leaving the stall.

You get in to find the door won't latch. It doesn't matter, the wait has been so long you are about to wet your pants! The dispenser for the modern "seat covers" (invented by someone's Mom, no doubt) is handy, but empty. You would hang your purse on the door hook, if there was one, but there isn't-so you carefully, but quickly drape it around your neck, (Mom would turn over in her grave if you put it on the FLOOR!), yank down your pants, and assume "The Stance".

In this position your aging, toneless thigh muscles begin to shake. You'd love to sit down, but you certainly hadn't taken time to wipe the seat or lay toilet paper on it, so you hold "The Stance".

To take your mind off your trembling thighs, you reach for what you discover to be the empty toilet paper dispenser. In your mind, you can hear your mother's voice saying, "Honey, if you had tried to clean the seat, you would have KNOWN there was no toilet paper!" Your thighs shake more.

You remember the tiny tissue that you blew your nose on yesterday-the one that's still in your purse. (Oh yeah, the purse around your neck, that now, you have to hold up trying not to strangle yourself at the same time). That would have to do. You crumple it in the puffiest way possible. It's smaller than your thumbnail.

Someone pushes your door open because the latch doesn't work. The door hits your purse, which is hanging around your neck in front of your chest, and you and your purse topple backwards against the tank of the toilet. "Occupied!" you scream, as you reach for the door, dropping your precious, tiny, crumpled tissue in a puddle on the floor, lost your footing altogether, and slide down directly onto the TOILET SEAT. It is wet of course. You bolt up, knowing all too well that it's too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with every imaginable germ and life form on the uncovered seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper-not that there was any, even if you had taken time to try. You know that your mother would be utterly appalled if she knew, because, you're certain her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat because, frankly, dear, "You just don't KNOW what kind of diseases you could get."

By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the toilet is so confused that it flushes, propelling a stream of water like a fire hose against the inside of the bowl that sprays a fine mist of water that covers your butt and runs down your legs and into your shoes. The flush somehow sucks everything down with such force that you grab onto the empty toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged in too.

At this point, you give up. You're soaked by the spewing water and the wet toilet seat. You're exhausted. You try to wipe with a gum wrapper you found in your pocket and then slink out inconspicuously to the sinks. You can't figure out how to operate the faucets with the automatic sensors, so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past the line of women still waiting. You are no longer able to smile politely to them. A kind soul at the very end of the line points out a piece of toilet papet trailing from your shoe. (Where was that when you NEEDED it??) You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman's hand and tell her warmly, "Here, you just might need this."

As you exit, you spot your hubby, who has long since entered, used, and left the men's restroom. Annoyed, he asks, "What took you so long, and why is your purse hanging around your neck?"

This is dedicated to women everywhere who deal with public restrooms. It finally explains to the men what really does take us so long. It also answers their other commonly asked questions about why women go to the restroom in pairs. It's so the other gal can hold the door, hang onto your purse and hand you Kleenex under the door!

RAVE - Merry baaa Christmas!

Tis the Season....and maybe you've never entertained the possibility of purchasing goats, pigs, camels or chickens as Christmas presents. Sure, they may be a tad bit hard to wrap. But you just can't go wrong by giving a good goat to a family in a 3rd world country, knowing they will now be self-sustaining for years to come.

I'm not a big fan of Christmas. Don't worry though, my teenagers are and that makes up for my disinterest by leaps and bounds.

Maybe I shouldn't say Christmas. Maybe, I should say, I don't care for all the excess I see in the form of decorations, the umteen toys and gadgets, novelty gifts, etc.,etc.,. Santa's list never ends.

Now the way we make time for togetherness and good will...That's what I like about Christmas!

So, here's my question to you? Can you even remember what you got last Christmas and what you gave? There's probably one or two gifts you can recall that were somehow distinct and special. And while you're at it, ask your children if they remember what they got last Christmas.

So hopefully this Christmas you give what's special(No, the Xbox is not special) and receive that gift you will cherish and remember forever.

The family you purchase livestock for, will remember, without hesitation, their Christmas gift on a daily basis as they get milk, cheese, eggs, wool, etc.,etc., You can even purchase clean drinking water (doesn't that sound sad?) bees, llamas, cows. The giving list is never ending.

So, if you're looking for that perfect gift for someone who has everything--
Give em a goat!( Actually the goat goes to 3rd world family, but they can get pics and updates)

Here's the sites for where you go when you need a good goat. I think they even come with a warranty, just hold on to your receipt. :)

Goats R Us

*Buy 1 Bee Get One Free (*no coupons needed)

PIG-MART

Livestock Emporium ("THE" original company that started this concept)