Friday, February 28, 2014

photo friday

whimsical wednesday's cracker jacks day, celebrating the date prizes were first put into cracker jack boxes.  i made and gave to my sister and brother-in-law.  suzi snapped this photo to share the prize she discovered.



Thursday, February 27, 2014

thoughtful thursday

stephen covey:
most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply.
 
while this is most likely the case, i'm wondering if most people don't think understanding and replying are one and the same.  perhaps we should all strive to (thus work at) listening the understand and then reply!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

whimsical wednesday

we are looking for faces in objects this whimsical wedneday. look at the every day objects all around you and discover the faces within!  if you take a photo and wish to share with the whimsey project, send the photo to the whimsey project email address:  thewhimseyproject@gmail.com

it was on my whimsical wednesday list for a long time before i discovered "faces in things" on twitter.   link: https://twitter.com/FacesThings  the photos posted are of a surprising variety of faces in objects. they are amazing. enjoy faces in things for yourself!

here's the photo of my faces in objects discovery!  i found it on a maple syrup bottle in mom's kitchen.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

trivia tuesday

trivia tuesday at the whimsey project!  share your unusual experiences, interesting facts, silly stuff and not something you see every day!  what say you?

when i was about six, i played with a neighborhood girl named marsha.  mom tells me that one summer day marsha and i were sitting on the back porch, just off our kitchen.  mom heard me say, "marsha, if your last name was mellow, you would be marsha mellow!"   it seems dorkness began at an early age for me!

Monday, February 24, 2014

get ready.....

get ready for whimsical wednesday!  we will be looking for faces in objects.  look around you, what do you see?  if you look closely you'll find faces in unexpected ways; in places and items that will surprise!

moments monday

moments monday.  our day to reflect and/or connect.  we reflect by writing in our memory books.  a memory book is any notebook in which to record random memories.  we connect by calling, visiting, writing letters or sending cards to (and with) others.

for moments monday i wrote about storytelling in my memory book.  i'm visiting family and, as is my weekly ritual, have letters and cards ready for the mail.

what did you do for moments monday?  if you have an idea for how to engage in moments monday, please share with us here at the whimsey project.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

solitude sunday

solitude sunday.  our day to spend time with a book.

having finished the lincoln volume, my new book is the mother tongue by bill bryson.  its about the english language and how it evolved into what we speak today. chapter one, which was today's reading, was an introduction to english.  the chapter is a comparison of english to other languages as well as how english has spread across the globe.  here are a few bits i particularly enjoyed learning:

hygge (danish):  instantly satisfying and cozy.
italians have no equivalent word for wishful thinking.
poles watch telewizja.
japanese go on pikunikku.

what are you reading?  share your book with us here at the whimsey project!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

miscellaneous

it will be 78 degrees today in the sunny south!  spring bulbs are emerging.  robins abound; hopping about on the lawns looking for nibbles.  the squirrel wants the sunflower seeds.  he's been diverted from the bird feeder with peanuts.  however, there doesn't seem to be enough peanuts to keep him completely satisfied!

twitter photos for your amusement or amazement:

https://twitter.com/Fascinatingpics/status/436893188406910976/photo/1

https://twitter.com/Fascinatingpics/status/437119579903774720/photo/1

https://twitter.com/FacesThings/status/437020419481411584/photo/1

Friday, February 21, 2014

photo friday

little mouse celebrating chinese new year, 2014: year of the horse! 

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

whimsical wednesday

it's cracker jack day for whimsical wednesday!  this date marks the first time a prize was placed in cracker jack boxes.  to celebrate munch cracker jacks, tell a story about cracker jacks, share your favorite prize from the cracker jack boxes you've eaten, make homemade cracker jacks.

to celebrate cracker jacks day, i made homemade cracker jacks to share with others.  because some people who read the whimsey project blog might be receiving some of my homemade cracker jacks i cannot describe them until they have been shared.  more later.......

when we were children our parents had friends that we visited frequently.  the lady of the house collected cracker jack prizes.  her husband installed a narrow shelf around the walls of the kitchen.  there she placed her cracker jack prizes collection. the first time we saw these treasures, displayed as they were, my siblings and i was enthralled.  she had prized from many, many years of collecting.  many of the prizes we had never seen before.  she was thrilled that all of us were so interested in her collection and told us all about them.  we rode home in the car talking only of those cracker jack prizes.  from that moment, that was the cracker jack house and we are always excited to return!

how did you celebrate cracker jack day?

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

trivia tuesday

it's trivia tuesday!  time to share your fun, interesting, unique experiences or tidbits or whatever you'd like!

NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!  while traveling on a four lane highway yesterday, we saw a huge tractor trailer truck cross the median from the on-coming lanes and make a u-turn onto the lanes we were traveling along.  we actually had to break, as did other cars.  a scary event and certainly NOT SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SEE EVERY DAY!

Monday, February 17, 2014

get ready.....

get ready for whimsical wednesday!  wednesday marks the date that prizes were first put into boxes of cracker jacks!  we'll enjoy cracker jacks in whatever way we please:  actually purchase and munch a box of cracker jacks.  what was your prize? tell us about your favorite cracker jacks prize.  make your own "cracker jacks" (any treat in a box with a prize) and share with others.  what will you do for cracker jacks day?

moments monday

moments monday.  the day to reflect and/or connect.  we reflect by writing in our memory books (any notebook in which to record random memories).  we connect by being in contact with others through calls, letters, cards, visits.

i'll be connecting later today as i travel to visit family.  cards are ready for the mail. a memory about valentine's day was written in my memory book.  how did you reflect and/or connect?

if you have any ideas about what we could do for moments monday, please share!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

solitude sunday

solitude sunday.  our day to spend time reading a book.

this morning i finished the lincoln volume.  the last few chapters highlighted life in the white house, the assassination, the death watch, the funerals across the nation as lincoln's body was taken home to springfield. interspersed was the plot to kill lincoln, the hunt for the assassin(s) and their executions.  the drama created by the alternate narratives was riveting.  i literally could not stop reading.  the saddest chapter of all was entitled aftermath.  the authors revealed life for the remaining lincoln family members, mrs lincoln and sons robert and tad.  tad died three years after the president.  mrs lincoln never recovered.  robert lived until 1926, having achieved a successful professional life. it's unknown whether robert's personal life, his interior life was likewise.  

Saturday, February 15, 2014

miscellaneous

the ice on the lake is so thick that friends enjoyed ice fishing this week!  it was funny to watch them standing on the ice, fishing line down the hole cut in the ice.  they actually caught fish but not the huge catfish they were after.

there was actually grass visible thursday as it was warmer and some of the snow melted in the bright sunlight. by friday it was covered again with a fresh snowfall. no more human footprints visible on the lake as well.

it's always a thrill to look out the window and catch sight of my heron flying across the sky.  i saw him three times this week.  he's my special friend.  speaking of birds, there have been more than i can count pecking at the cracked corn in the snow.  my beloved female cardinals are many and, with them, their vivid red male counterparts.

a few photos from twitter to delight you:

https://twitter.com/Fascinatingpics/status/434510927636201472/photo/1

https://twitter.com/Fascinatingpics/status/434493047569911809/photo/1

https://twitter.com/FacesThings/status/434412746168631296/photo/1


Thursday, February 13, 2014

thoughtful thursday

sinclair lewis:

we'd get sick on too many cookies but ever so much sicker on no cookies at all.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

whimsical wednesday

we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beatles' first concert in america!  for beatles day enjoy the musical group any way you wish:  listen to beatles songs, share your favorite song, watch a beatles movie, rearrange lyrics from several songs to write a "new" beatles song!

my beatles activity was to rearrange lyrics from several songs to write a "new" beatles song.  an internet search revealed several sites that feature the lyrics of all the beatles songs.  one of these sites was utilized to create the following:

so go away and leave me alone,
i've got a chip on my shoulder that's bigger than my feet.
what have i done to deserve such a fate?
makes no difference where you are or where you'd like to be,
something inside that was always denied for so many years,
there's nothing for me here so i will disappear.
looking through a glass onion,
for a little peace of mind,
some kind of innocence is measured out in years.
get back to where you once belonged.
in my mind there is no sorrow.....

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

trivia tuesday

trivia tuesday! share your fun, interesting unusual, exciting, gobsmaking experiences and/or tidbit of information.

today i share something from my notable notebook (a notable notebook is any notebook in which to record bits of information, quotes, ideas that appeal.)

teenage post #15357 read on facebook:
chocolate comes from cocoa, which is a tree.  that makes it a plant.  chocolate is salad.

Monday, February 10, 2014

get ready.....

for whimsical wednesday we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the beatles performing in america for the first time!  listen to beatles music, share your favorite beatles song, write a "new" beatles song by combining one line of the lyrics of several beatles songs, view a beatles movie, read about the beatles from a historical perspective. or any way you want to enjoy the beatles! yeah! yeah! yeah!  

moments monday

moments monday at the whimsey project! today we take time to reflect and/or connect.  we reflect by writing in our memory books.  what is a memory book?  any notebook in which to record random memories. we connect by calling, visiting with others, sending cards and/or letters.

today i sent valentines via the mail.  i also wrote in my memory book; writing about the time i got a dent in my forehead when i was about five.

what did you do for moments monday?  if you have a suggestion for how we could reflect or connect, please share!

Sunday, February 9, 2014

solitude sunday

it's solitude sunday, our day to spend time with a book.

my time with mr lincoln is rapidly coming to a close.  the year 1865 was brief.  his second inauguration, the gettysburg address, the end of the civil war all by the end of april.  the next chapter was all about life in the white house with the president, his family and key members of his administration and cabinet.  the photographs that most impressed me with today's reading were the photos of the dedication at gettysburg; some of which i have never seen before and made the event fuller in scope and understanding for me.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

miscellaneous

wow! a huge surprise!  more ice, snow and cold this week!  ice, layer of snow, ice covers everything.  and more predicted for the next week.

the goal of completing the art journal by the end of may?  not likely.  thoroughly examined and counted the pages to be completed.  more than i realized.  so it will take longer than may possibly as art journaling, indeed art, cannot be rushed.

work as resumed on my closet after a hiatus of a few months.  making progress.  still have too much stuff, however, none unnecessary.  then there's that mountain of memorabilia to sort.......

photos to enjoy:

https://twitter.com/Fascinatingpics/status/431900004295655424/photo/1

https://twitter.com/Slate/status/431898799590891520/photo/1

Friday, February 7, 2014

photo friday

due to the extreme winter weather it's been difficult to download photos.  please follow the link to photo friday:  popcorn kernel turtle!

https://twitter.com/FacesPics/status/430872124874838016/photo/1

Thursday, February 6, 2014

thoughtful thursday

chuck klosterman:

art and love are the same thing: it's a process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

whimsical wednesday

we are preparing for valentine's day for whimsical wednesday!  make homemade gifts, cards.  plan a special celebration for february 14th!  remember those you love and someone who could really use a valentine's hug,

my valentines are made and ready to mail!  how did you prepare for valentine's day this whimsical wednesday!

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

trivia tuesday

trivia tuesday at the whimsey project!  share your fun, interesting, silly facts and/or experiences.

here's mine for trivia tuesday.  every morning the kitties line up in the kitchen to get a treat.  they are typically polite, waiting their turn, while i pass each one their morsel.  one morning i was passing out treats when i dropped one.  as it bounced, one of the kitties reached out a paw and stopped it at mid-bounce!  that action was so startling! after gasping in surprise, i laughed and laughed!  a professional athlete couldn't have made any greater play! NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY!

Monday, February 3, 2014

get ready.....

for whimsical wednesday we'll prepare for valentine's day.  if you have valentines to mail, get those ready and in the mail on february 10th at the latest to ensure delivery by february 14th.  also, make plans for whatever valentine's celebration you might have at home!  make valentines, create a homemade gift, think of personal coupons (such as cooking a favorite dinner or a game night) to those you want to remember for valentine's day.

moments monday

moments monday is our day to reflect and/or connect.  we reflect by writing in our memory books.  what is a memory book?  any notebook in which we record random memories.  we connect with others through phone calls, letters, cards, visits.  what will you do today?

for this moments monday i wrote in my memory book.  the topic was plants and trees.  not any plants and trees, but those that have belonged to someone or was given as a gift.  legacy plants.  connection will come this evening when i phone my mother to check on her.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

solitude sunday

it's solitude sunday.  our day to spend time with a book!

i became quite engrossed with the lincoln book today; reading about the entire year of 1864.  the war is going better for the union army and lincoln secured reelection. soon lincoln will be assassinated; only four months remain for the war, lincoln as president and for his life.  words he spoke in 1864 foretold this turn of events when he shared with a friend that he didn't think he would be long for life after the war ended.  just like a movie one views over and over, the outcome is known but a different ending is wished. this is how i am feeling about reading the year 1865.

Saturday, February 1, 2014

miscellaneous

the iris featured for yesterday's photo friday are from dad's garden.  the iris, state flower of tennessee, were planted next to the path along the trees on the west side of the lake.  their blooms brighten the way in the spring.  i am certainly looking forward to the iris and all the other flowers from bulbs planted about.

it's warmer right now on this first day of february but more cold, ice and snow are on the way. people seem to flock to the stores in between winter storms in order to procure food and other necessary items before it's time to hunker down at home once again.

the pages of the art journal are filling up.  at least the foundational backgrounds are being put in place.  come the end of may it will be two years since my friend and i took our year long classes in art journaling.  the goal is to finish this book in time for the second anniversary of the beginning of the art journal journey.  besides the initial art journal, i have the challenge art journal, a journal with black gesso to begin a page and three new journals i purchased with reward points just last week. all those journals must mean i plan to do this art for awhile!

still working on the house.  drawers in all sorts of pieces of furniture and cupboards are now the focus.  i feel lighter and lighter as each drawer has been sorted, cleared of unwanted items, cleaned and organized. progress!

photos i liked on twitter:

https://twitter.com/BEAUTIFULPlCS/status/429427648461565953/photo/1

https://twitter.com/BEAUTIFULPlCS/status/429368067144290305/photo/1

https://twitter.com/BEAUTIFULPlCS/status/429397461648814080/photo/1