Saturday, April 30, 2011

Looking For A Time-Sucker?....


Then get one of these - A koi pond and fountain



Being a lady of leisure, I've got 3 myself. 

#1 came with the house

#2 I had put in (thinking I would get rid of the first one)


#3 my neighbor volunteered me to manage.

The elementary school courtyard and pond (needs a LOT of work)


Yes, they are pretty and  it's fun feeding the fish and watching them swim gracefully through the water.

and it's very relaxing listening to the sound of water falling.


BUT, it's not as easy as just building one and plugging in a fountain (as I may have suggested last year here).

It requires constant adjustment, monitoring and filter cleaning. I've spent the last two days working on #1 and #3 and there's more work to do on both.  #2 needs work too!

If YOU value your time, and your back, walk away from the pond pumps now. If you think you want to enjoy the soothing sounds of water flowing I highly recommend just  visiting a friend or public park that has a pond rather than building and maintaining one of your own.  Trust me on this, there's nothing soothing about pond scum. 

 Speedy says, "forget about it!"



Monday, April 25, 2011

Yesterday we hosted my family for the easter egg hunt and dinner. 


I think everyone had a good time, although it was very hot and 
it turned out to be the longest egg hunt in history.



    There were some lessons learned:
    1. Don't let little boys hide the eggs - they make them really hard to find. 
    2. Don't fill eggs with chocolate candy if the temperature is going to hit 80+. 
    3. 22 eggs per child is probably too many.
    4. The men prefer their ice tea to be regular ice tea flavor - no fancy tangerine zinger for them.

    my sister, Matt, and good friend Leslie




    Eventually everyone had to join the search efforts. 






    The table isn't going down in history as one of my best, but possibly the brightest. I picked up the pink table cloth at HomeGoods on Saturday. As you can see I didn't get around to ironing it. The green chargers are from Target (Christmas decor). My family isn't fussy, so I just cut some greens and flowers from the garden and we used paper napkins.



    This butter dish was a big discussion piece. I'm not sure why they thought it was so funny.


    Did you know that you can use a Sharpie pen to write on porcelain and it will wash off? 
    That's a little trick I learned from LuLu Powers.


    I also got some ribbing for using little salt cellars and tiny little salt spoons which I put on tiny little dishes. Cute, but not so manly I guess.


    Thanks to Leslie and my mom who helped out with the prep and clean up. 
    I really appreciate all your help!





    6 more days 
    Don't Forget! I'm donating 100% of the proceeds from my jewelry sales in the month of April to the relief efforts in Japan. And Matt's office is going to match our donation amount. As always, my jewelry comes wrapped and shipping is free for you.




















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    Monday, April 18, 2011

    You would have thought I won the lottery


    I never win anything. But I continue entering giveaways.


    Maybe my karma is changing.... 




    I'm practically famous--they put us on their website too. 


    My whole family is coming to our house for Easter egg hunt and dinner. 
    This bunny will have a starring role on our Easter table and in the dessert selection :)
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    Tuesday, April 12, 2011

    For A Good Time, Just Add Water

    When it finally stops raining and warms up for a day. 


    Invite your friends over and turn on the hose

















    We had a great time!


    Saturday, April 9, 2011

    Life Is Good & 200% for Japan

    Close up photo of a bunch of Cherry Blossom fl...Image via Wikipedia

    Yesterday was my birthday, and my mother wrote in my card, "life is good".  My birthday always falls right around the peak bloom time for the national cherry blossoms - the gift from Japan. It's really beautiful around here this time of year.

    Yes, for me and my family life is very good. But for so many in Japan life is tragic.

    I tear up just thinking about their losses and the pain.  In my world my struggles consist of where to place my new love seat.  While others are without the basic necessities of shelter, water, electricity, food, and have lost so many loved ones.
    Japanese Red CrossImage via Wikipedia

    I want to do something to help. This morning I asked Matt what percentage of my jewelry sales I should donate. Without hesitating he said, "100% and my company will match it to bring it up to 200%".

    So this month 200% of Julie LoRusso Jewelry sales will be donated to the Japanese relief fund.


    I will donate ALL of the proceeds from the sales of my jewelry and that will be matched dollar for dollar by my husband's employer.

    If you're looking for that something special to wear for Easter or a one-of-kind mother's day gift or you just want to help too, check out my website.

    Shipping in the US is free and all purchases come wrapped in a pink box with a beautiful satin ribbon.


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