Trip around Florida, Day #1

We got a late start out the door today...not wanting to hurry, and especially ME NOT WANTING TO LEAVE DOOZEY!!! My Mom is watching her for us, or I swear, I could not leave her!! It was rough...a lot of blubbering on my part. I suppose it is just because she is so small, and CUTE, and just my little sweetheart...but the fact is that she has turned me into a blubbering idiot!!! I miss her already! LOL!

I swear I do not know what the name of this town was (well, it wasn't really a town)...just a restaurant on a road in the middle of the sticks somewhere in mid Florida...HA!


This was the cutest little place one could ever see, complete with the smokehouse just pouring out a delicious smell! It came right out to the street and entered our nostrils and man, we HAD to turn around and get some of that!!!

It was the biggest rip off ever! The restaurant at some point had boiled down to just a few little tables inside, and the rest was a huge movie rental and arcade! We laughed, but still stayed for a BBQ pork sandwich...it was very mediocre...I did not eat the bun...not worth eating in my estimation. Fun building to take pictures of though!

Then we visited the Dade Battlefield State Park, in Bushnell, Florida. This was a wish of my hubby's to get to see. It was very interesting and beautiful with all of the old oak trees with loads of spanish moss hanging down! Very romantic! There was a visitors center with a lot of information and two very knowledgeable rangers. We watched a 12 minute video about the battle and it was so well made...bringing emotions into the whole thing...and being able to actually feel the emotions on both sides...between the Seminole Indians and the U.S. Army...again, I blubbered. One of the park rangers divulged to me that he too is overcome with emotion (to the point of tears) each year when they do the reinactment of the battle! They actually had a cannonball that had been found in a neighboring yard where someone was out gardening and discovered it there under the dirt...it weighed 6 pounds and was approx. 3 inches in diameter...quite heavy!

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According to Wikipedia:
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park is a Florida State Park located on County Road 603 between I-75 (Exit 314) and U.S. 301. The 80-acre (320,000 m2) park includes 40 acres (160,000 m2) of pine flatwoods and a live oak hammock. Also called the Dade Massacre site, It preserves the Second Seminole War battlefield where Seminole Indian warriors fought soldiers under the command of Major Francis L. Dade on December 28, 1835. Each year, on the weekend after Christmas (as close to the original date as possible), the Dade Battlefield Society sponsors a reenactment of the battle that started the Second Seminole War.

Dade Battlefield Historic Memorial, it is also a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
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As per usual, hubby and daughter are taking a little nap before we go out for dinner...and I am up doing SOMETHING!!! LOL! I might fall asleep sometime before 2am! Se you all tomorrow!
Julie

I finally found out the shade of blue (precisely) that I love...

It is Tiffany Blue...check it out!!!!!

F= FrIlLy FaNTaNgLe

After being up half the night with Ms. Doozey being a silly girl and wanting to play all night...AND pre-coffee this morning....I started to frehandedly draw/doodle in my sketchbook for the F page...I decided to use fans in a circular pattern and kept adding little bits and turned it into a FANTANGLE of sorts! I added a buterfly sticker (too lazy to draw one this time), and also found some alphabet Mary Englebreit stickers...so I went back and added the letter sticker for each page up till now...I like this one...it has a fairy on it!!!

Now I am off to Lowes for fertilizer, Round Up (spraying vines on the back fence...EVIL vines, mind you...and some fence cleaner and other various and fun things....continuing yard work through today. Tomorrow morning am embarking on a little 5 day trip around Florida to places we have never been to before...and I plan to take a box of fun stuff with me to make some ATC's in each city. I can never sleep in a hotel until really late, so it is a wonderful thing to make ATC's while hubby sleeps! Will have my camera, so you will probably be seeing a few interesting things in the next week (at least to me, probably)! LOL!
Happy 4th of July everybody!!!
ME

A waving cactus flag now!

Thanks to my friend, Cindy, of Bug Safari, I have a now waving cactus flag blog banner. I was trying to get it into a "waving" shape, and could not, but she did...and well, now...it really looks awesome!!! Thanks, Cindy!!! You can see how it was made initially (using cactus and succulent photos), just a few posts back on my blog...if you didn't see before!!!
Happy 4th of July celebrations to you all!!! OR July 1 (just past) in Canada!

New dolly for Emily June!

I recieved a dolly that I had ordered from Judi at Cranberry Blossom in the mail a few weeks ago, and was leaving it in the envelope so that my DIL could open it when they get home, but then it just got the best of me, and I HAD to open it!!! I wanted to put it in the little playpen sleeping area I have set up for her!

She is so cute, all soft and snuggly for little hands! She has sweet little ribbons on the side for her to play with. With an embroidered sweet little face...perfect for a little girl! You can see what is in her Etsy Shop called Pink Daisies, here!

And here's the cutest thing EVER! She embroidered Emily Junes' initials in the back! OMG! Thanks Judi!!!!! She is truely a doll of dolls!!! Em Em will love her!!!

Judi even threw in a bar of her soap, called Fruit Deli, a beautiful glycerin soap that is PINK!!! Of course, that went to my sweet daughter! I took the pic of it on top of my orange computer desk, so it is kinda hard to see...I can't thank you enough, Judi!!! It sure smells devine!!!

Oh My Gosh...WOW!

OMG, you guys...imagine my excitement when I walked in after a grueling day at work, and found an envelope from Teri at Painted Daisies,...our fearless Cactus Leader, containing THESE!!!!!

I had loved the zentangle here that looks like 3 ferris wheels at a carnival from the first moment I saw it on her blog...and she surprised me by sending it to me...but then...

THIS was a total surprise! She did a watercolor ATC of my Doozey!!! WOW!!! It looks just like her!!! It must be framed and placed on my wall where I can see it every day! Oh, thank you, Teri! From the bottom of my heart!!! OMG!!!!!

Doozey and Baby Tuesday...a little early!

I don't know if any of you remember seeing my "keep to himself" cat? He is an indoor, outdoor kind of guy, and he basically is out or is asleep on our bed. He is pretty much useless, and because he is about 11 years old, he has really slowed down and doesn't really want much interaction with us anymore. He has been a great cat...keeping us pretty much bug and lizard free inside, and rat-free outside! My son always called him "Baby Killer"...maybe that's why! He is a handsome feller!

Hello my sweet little Baby doll!!!

And here are some pics of Doozey enjoying her new found freedom in her safely fenced backyard! She has enjoyed hanging out with her cousin, Bailey (the Lhasa), and running after lizards (favorite activity)...no need for any toys out here...she has live, interactive ones!!! She also enjoys sitting on my lap out there and stretching out in the grass, in the shade of the big huge Sapodilla tree.

What's that I hear?????

Oh God...now what is that smell???

Those are my two sweet babies for this week! Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday tomorrow!!!
Julie

The making of a cactus flag!

Last week I took a pic of the "stars" part of my Stars and Stripes series! Below is that pic:

Then for my "stripes" I decided to use a stem of my Huernia plant!

My daughter put them together for me using Photoshop:

Then we added color:

Since I couldn't get it to wave...I swirled it and it turned into this funky cactus flag! I like it...now if I can get it into my blog title, I will be happy!!!

Happy Cactus Monday!

Aqua

A color that I am recently in love with...but it has to be an exact shade either alone or in combination with just the right other colors! I really love this picture of some beads for sale at Goodybeads.com! I would sure love to try and paint this...maybe one day!!! I wanted to document it here so I can come back to it eventually!

My rainbow! What is yours?

Well, this was fun...especially when it says such nice things about me! LOL! My rainbow colors are kinda drab though...what's up with that? You can go to Space Fem for your rainbow quiz!

Your rainbow is intensely shaded yellow, green, and white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is says about you: You are an intelligent person. You appreciate optimism. You're good at getting people to like you. People depend on you to make them feel secure.

Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.