What do you want to do before you die?

What if? What if the unthinkable happened, and you were to get sick, and die? Would you regret the things you always wanted to do, but never did?

Did you always want to take a ride in a hot air balloon?

Have you visited Paris yet?

What about riding the rapids down the Colorado river in the Grand Canyon?

Did you always dream of jumping out of an airplane?

I encourage you to think about it. Life is short, and the unexpected happens.

I feel blessed, because if the unthinkable happened to me, I've done much of what I always dreamed of doing. I would be content. No, I still haven't been to Paris, so I still have some dreams, but - mostly - I'd be satisfied.

Think about it.

Natural kids Giveaway!

Head on over to one of my favorite blogs - Soule Mama! My team, the Natural Kids Team on Etsy, is doing a giveaway. Ends tomorrow morning at 8am, hurry up!

Some of: My favorite artists

Do you ever come across something that just BLOWS you away? It happens to me often on Etsy.

Wanted to share some of my most favorite artists with you today.

Baby porcupine above by SharonMontrose.

Art by AmberAlexander.

And BlueDogRose.

Everytime I visit these shops, I love each item more than the next. Then I look again, and I love something else more. I cannot decide. Exquisite works of art. Genius, I dare to say.

Please Visit them, and Enjoy!

Addicted

I'm looking for a 12 step program for my one and only addiction.

DIET COKE.

I LOVE IT.

Here's my rationale:

I only have 1 a day. Lunchtime.

Did I say that I love it? I love the bubbles, the flavor, the caffeine. (It does have caffeine, yes?)

I have tried to quit.

I gave up.

It is the elixir of life.

Today, I read an article about bad things in processed foods. We do not eat a lot of processed foods at my house. We cook. We cook from scratch. I bake. I bake breads, cookies, cakes. I don't like most cookies that you buy at the store - even from the 'bakery' aisle. Oreos leave a bad taste in my mouth. We eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. We're slowly switching to organic foods - milk, eggs, meats. Know why? Organic milk, eggs and meats do NOT come from animals that have been fed hormones and antibiotics. My friend Cathy raises chickens. We get most of our eggs from her. YUM.

So......what is with the DIET COKE ADDICTION?????

Do you know what artificial sweeteners can do to you? oooooo bad things.

Including messing with your metabolism. (Is that why I can't lose weight?)

Linked to cancer.

etc. etc etc.

Anybody have any suggestions?? Please post here.

Earth Day Celebration!

I'm old, I admit it. I remember the very first Earth Day, 40 years ago. I grew up in Philadelphia, and there was a big festival on Belmont Plateau - lots of bands, vendors - hippies everywhere. I was still a young teenager, and was just in awe of everything. Heard some great music that day! I rode my bike to school that day - and school was quite a few miles away.

So - Earth Day is coming up, and the Natural Kids are having a celebration. 55 shops are offering all kinds of wonderful discounts and gifts with purchases.

Also - hidden in many Natural Kids shops is a picture of a little gnome.

Find the gnome, and tell the shop owner, and you will receive as a GIFT - a beautiful PDF file of wonderful crafts, recipes and games that you can play with your children, in honor of Earth Day.

Visit the Natural Kids , and find some amazing eco-friendly, organic, good for you - your children - and the earth.

Visit Woolies, for more stuffed animals for earth day!

Dogs and Chocolate

If you have a dog, then you are probably aware the dogs and chocolate are NOT good together. In fact, chocolate can be lethal to a dog (depending on the variety and amount eaten).

We have four dogs -

Here is my father in law with 2 of them. He comes to visit every Sunday, and all my animals just adore him. :)

So....here's the story. We went out to dinner Friday night. Came home to some empty baggies on the living room floor. One had contained tortilla chips. One had contained chocolate chip morsels - semi-sweet, the kind used for baking. The pantry door was open. It is ALWAYS shut. Who opened it?? We were very worried - but with 4 dogs, how did we know who had eaten what? How many chocolate chips were still in the bag? I know there were enough to kill my littlest dog -

So what do you do at 9pm on a Friday? There IS an excellent urgent care facility for animals. But do we take them all in? Everybody seemed fine.....

The following day, our biggest dog - Buster - was hyper. Not that unusual, he's often hyper. Sunday - he also seemed OK. So did all the others. .........

Monday morning - 4:30AM - hubby woke me up. Buster's not OK. He is panting, and almost hyperventilating, and whining. UH OH. OH NO. We watched him for a bit - then it was apparent - he had to go to the hospital. Hubby took him.

They examined him, watched him for a few hours, did blood tests. Everything seemed pretty normal. They were baffled. They sent him home. But they wanted him kept quiet. They sent him home with a sedative. More like anaesthesia. He could barely walk. And he was thirsty - I offered him water every time he got up - and bit by bit - he seemed better.

In the meantime, I called my vet. They told me what they would do for him - a bit different than just sedating him. If he hadn't been a LOT better by this morning, I would have taken him in and gotten their medicine. (if I hadn't already spent $400 on the hospital visit....)

But - Buster is Better.

So relieved.

We love this crazy dog.
:)

Happy Easter!

Bunnies want to wish you a Happy Easter!

Toys Toys Toys Toys

Do you remember what it was like to play? I mean, really play. Get down on the floor and play with your little dolls/stuffed animals/plastic (yuck)superheros?

We (my brother and I) used to use our blocks a lot - make forts and houses and stuff. Then the little doll-type people would make up games and play mommy and daddy and make dinner and stuff. They probably had wars too, we were the violent type. Cops and robbers - cowboys and indians. :)

Down on the floor; pretending. No thought for anything else.

That's what I want to do -

With THESE toys!

Swim with the mermaids!

From The Enchanted Cupboard.

My brother and I played a lot of spy-type games. This would have been great.

From Wood Toy Shop.

Play food would have been so much fun.

From Fair Trade Family.

My mom didn't like Barbie, she thought Barbie was too 'mature'. I wonder if these dolls would have been ok?

From Princess Nimble Thimble.

That's why I like my own little acorn dollies. Just the right size to stash in your pocket, and play pretend with all day.

At Woolies.

Go check out The Natural Kids Store for more wonderful, imagination-provoking toys! All natural - no plastic here!