Any year divisable by 4, gives us an extra day in February so today is it! It is Leap Day.
In some countries, it's a tradition that women may propose marriage on leap years. This doesn't seem such a bad idea but what if the guy you're proposing to refuses? It seems there are penalties for that.
In Scotland, fines were assigned to the man ranging from a kiss, to money, to a silk gown. In Denmark, a refusal may be compensated with the gift of 12 pairs of gloves, while in Finland, the man must buy the woman enough fabric to make a skirt.
In Greece, it's just unlucky to be married in a leap year.
Now where's my lucky man?
Good Night for now.
I'm wearing: Skin: LeLutka Lola (light) Lipstick: Aleida lip A (005) Eyes: Miriel Hazel (no longer available) Eye makeup: Mozz Cosmetics winged eye with lashes (silver) Hair: Cake Dakota
Did you know that the dandelion is a herb, NOT a weed?? Does that make it easier to deal with when your lawn is covered with bright yellow flowers?
You could make Dandelion Salad with the young greens, tomatoes and a oil and vinegar dressing...or sauteed dandelion greens with a bit of garlic and onion.
Dandelion greens need to be picked before the plant goes to flower. The leaves are like arugula, a bit on the peppery-bitter side but so good.
Mardi Gras has been celebrated since the early 18th Century in North America and was mentioned in the writings of French explorer, Pierre le Moyne as he and his crew explored the southern part of the United States.
Carnival season starts January 6th and culminates with Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday which leads into Lent.
In New Orleans, there are huge parades, where people dress up in costumes and often wear feathered masks. Trinkets and beads are thrown into the crowds. The traditional colours of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold.
Mardi Gras is also celebrated in Rio de Janeiro and, a place I just found out about - Quebec City!! Imagine!!
Of all the summer fruit I can eat, I love raspberries the best. One year my Mother decided to plant a variety of raspberry canes. The next year, we had an abundance of red, white and black raspberries. I pigged out for weeks, eating as many as I could every day. Mom made them into muffins, cakes and biscuits. She cooked them into sauces, marinades and jams. There was a short period where I never wanted to look at another raspberry again.
A few weeks back, I read about a Love Challenge on Luna Jubilee's blog. That was such a great idea when there seems to be so much negativity swirling around. That put me in mind for one of my thinking days.
So here's a list of things I love in both of my lives, in both of my worlds:
1. I have a wonderful group of family and friends that I prize beyond anything. They give me support always and a swift kick when I need it.
2. I work in fabulous situations. I have great boss(es) and they provide me with interest, challenges, stimulation and dreams.
3. I love shopping! Shoes, clothes, jewelry - you name it, I'll buy it! Of course I can afford more in my other world but even window shopping is good in my first world.
4. "Music can change the world because it can change people" (Bono) so in my home(s) I have a variety of music playing at all times, and I enjoy hearing live music, singers or entertainers. Music can bring back memories or make new ones.
5. and lastly, I love to write. My ambition to write a book has faded a bit over the years but writing this blog has provided me a wonderful outlet.
There are so many more things that I care about in my worlds but that's for another thinking day!
Good Night for now
I'm wearing: Skin: LeLutka Lola (light) Lipstick: Aleida lip A (008) Eyes: Miriel Hazel (no longer available) Eye shadow: Mozz Cosmetics Glittery Smokey Eye (black) Lashes: Mozz Cosmetics Lashes Version 2 (01) Hair: Oh Hair Alex (no longer available)
One of the small self indulgences that I have is keeping my fingers and toes painted in bright colours. Of course I plan on doing it on a night when I have lots of time.
I know that nail polish is a made up of resins, solvents and colouring agents and a lot of other chemicals that make the polish thick and stick to your nails.
Scientists have eliminated other substances, such as formaydehyde, as they think this may cause certain illnesses.
This has lead to producing a water based nail polish that is being advertised as environmentally friendly. However, some users of this type of polish don't think it's as colourful or as shiny as the chemical based kind. It's not always "chip" proof either.
Pink has always been the most popular colour for nail polish but lately black has also made its way into the top ten list.
Polish on the nails used to be strictly a woman's thing but now more men are applying clear or pale polish to their nails to give the nails a healthy look. Some women now apply decals to their nails on top of the polish to add a little pizzazz.
I'll stick to my bright red colours either sparkly, shiny or neon.
When I was a kid, my elderly next door neighbour, loved the Alice Blue Gown song from the musical, "Irene" that came out in the '30's. She would often sing it to me and dance me around the back yard. It was kind of a 1-2-3, 1-2-3, waltz beat so for this week, I thought of wearing something to make me look sweet, demure, innocent. Until I heard this rendition of the song:
I decided to at least keep the parasol.
Good Night for now
I'm wearing: Skin: LeLutka Lola (light) Lipstick: Aleida lip colour A (for light skins) Eyes: Miriel Hazel (no longer available0 Eye makeup: Mozz Cosmetics colourful winged eye with lashes (silver blue) Hair: Calico Ingmann Creations Luna Hair accessories: Dark Mouse sweet flower hair comb (tinted)
Winter can be long and taxing, even in our second world so the other day I flew out to Winter Festival at Aero Pines Park. Walking around the area is very picturesque - snowy trees, wildlife, pine cabins. There are 12 regions where you can participate in outdoor activities. I tried the usual winter sports - cross country skiing, skating, snowmobiling. I also went horse back riding. The Festival also offers flying a helicopter which was really fun but riding a ice unicorn was the best. The highlight of the whole day was drinking the hot chocolate.
There are lots of opportunities for picture taking too.
Check out this winter fun before summer takes over.
