Susan Scribbles

Roses for Valentine's Day

2009-01-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, ladies: ‘fess up! Who among us wouldn’t admit to wanting flowers for Valentine’s Day? And you guys: who doesn’t want to be the man of the hour by delivering a bouquet of beautiful roses to your sweetheart? But did you know that your very color selection speaks volumes about your true emotions? It’s true. 1800flowers knows this and can supply you with the very roses for valentine’s that you desire.

Roses are the perfect flower to convey your feelings and the various colors have different meanings associated with them. Red, the most commonly given color, symbolizes love and passion. The different hues can slightly alter the meaning: true red is for lovers, fiery red signifies passion and cardinal red represents desire.

Pink roses signify poetic romance and elegance; they’re more light-hearted than red and can symbolize friendship and admiration. A mixture of pink and red, of course, expresses a romantic relationship.

Orange roses represent pride or amazement and would be appropriate for a graduation or promotion, while peach symbolizes pride for someone’s accomplishments.

White roses symbolize purity and are the bride’s roses; they are often called the “flower of light”. They represent unity, sincerity, loyalty and a love stronger than death. They can be mixed with red to emphasize the love within a relationship.

Purple roses are majestic and can mean eternal love; deep purple roses should be reserved for intimate relationships.

Now that you know the meaning behind the colors, let this information help guide you in your selection of Valentine’s Day roses. You can choose the appropriate color or colors to help you say exactly what’s on your mind!

Thoughts for the New Year from a news perspective

2009-01-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or is anyone else tired of the fighting in the middle east, too?
It's bad enough our troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan; now we're about to see a surge in our troop levels in Afghanistan as well. Israel and the Palestinians got so jealous of our war, they had to jump back into it themselves. The destabilization of that area has been ongoing for decades; it comes and goes just like the waves of the ocean. At this point, it's hard to believe that anyone is a competent enough negotiator to help achieve peace in the region.
With the economy the way it is worldwide, our eyes are turned inward now to try and resolve our country's problems first. And that's as it should be. Our people deserve our attention and our help before we send it elsewhere. I don't see this as isolationism; i see it as taking care of our neighbors and countrymen first. When priorities need to be made, i feel that we should look to our own borders before others. And speaking of borders................
Nah, i'll blog about that another time. I have to think of my readers, too!
Happy New Year, everyone!

Almost there!

2008-12-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

It's almost here! Christmas, with all its pagentry and traditions. We've been getting ready for weeks: planning parties, buying gifts, attending religious services and making countless to-do lists. Families are getting together for Christmas Eve, bringing tons of food of every variety. To be special, my sons made a music video for youtube as a special Christmas present to our far-flung family. My older son plays saxophone and the younger one plays guitar. Their rendition of We Three Kings was unique to say the least. Let's just say heavy metal meets jazz is a fitting description.
My favorite part of today is being home. Not going to work is a wonderful gift for those of us who work fulltime. Neighbors have come by, bringing goodies and i've got plenty of time to bake my pies. The windows are wide open, taking advantage of the gorgeous Florida weather and feeling sorry for our countrymates up north and out west.
All in all, a great windup to our favorite holiday.
Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Time is running shorter

2008-12-10T15:28:00.001-08:00

The days are getting shorter, our tempers are sometimes shorter and our to-do list is only growing!! This seems totally out of proportion but 'tis the season. A lot to do and for most of us, little time in which to accomplish it. The time to ship gifts is almost gone but good bargains abound locally. Living in Florida, one gift we love to ship is fruit from Indian River County. We are known for our luscious grapefruits and oranges; relatives from the cold north love to receive them in the dead of winter. They're colorful, juicy and sweet; a perfect counterpoint to the freezing temperatures being endured in the norther climates.
Shop locally this season and patronize your hometown businesses. In this worsening economy, it's a win-win solution for both giver and receiver.

getting motivated

2008-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

This time of year, it seems like there's always so much to do: shopping (of course), decorating, baking, visiting friends, volunteering, sending Christmas cards, and the list goes on and on.

Sometimes, it seems so overwhelming, you have trouble deciding where to begin and what to really do. I find that a priority list helps a great deal. I make a list of the most important items i need to accomplish and i make this list both weekly and daily. It helps tremendously to put everything in perspective and to give you a feeling of accomplishment as each item is ticked off, completed.

What normally gets left out? Personal time. I know how dificult this is, but even ten minutes spent filing your nails or some extra skincare time can help replenish that sense of self. We get so caught up in the "holiday hustle", we forget how important this is. I use the airplane analogy to explain this: on an airplane, if the cabin suddenly depressurizes and the emergency airmasks drop down, we are instructed to apply our own mask first and then help others. Do you see the usefulness of this analogy? It points out the importance of taking sufficient care of ourselves to enable us to take care of others. An especially valid point for those of us with children!
So, make your lists, use them and don't forget your emergency air supply for coping with these hectic times.

Notes from a Thanksgiving Junkie

2008-11-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

I think i'm finally coming down from the high of my carb-loaded Thanksgiving dinner. You know, turkey and ALL the trimmings, right down to that pumpkin pie with extra creamy whipped topping. It wasn't all just stomach-stretching overload, though.
We started the day volunteering at a local soup kitchen. My sons, 18 and 11, had never done this before and i thought it high time they got started. I was tired of hearing the same old "Well, so-and-s0 got this game system six months ago!! We never get anything when it first comes out!"
And so on and so on. All parents know the drill.
We actually had a good time. All us volunteers were ready to get to work, chopping salad, de-boning turkey and fighting the saran-wrap war to cover the pastries. It all worked. And the kids actually enjoyed it enough for the younger one to comment that he'd like to do it again next year.
Guess i haven't totally lost the parenting knack after all.
Happy thanksgiving to all of us in the parent wars. May we all win this season.

My Must-have Christmas List

2008-11-22T10:02:00.000-08:00

A Must-have Christmas List for 2008
Wishes from an Eco-conscious Fashion Shopper

A must-have Christmas list is so subjective; the items are tied to our ages, likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests, even gender and geography. After all, a wonderful gift of ice skates may seem a little impractical in Florida. However, after much perusal and painstaking review, I have carefully selected those gifts that I feel would be truly unique, practical and lovingly bestowed. And without further ado, may I present:

1. The portable E-lap desk from Brookstone is available for $39.95 and is a perfect gift for writers and readers. It has an angled design that provides sturdy support for emailing and web-surfing, and can be used virtually anywhere in your home, including that cozy couch or comfy bed. It also makes a wonderful gift for a bed-bound friend or family member. I can stay caught up with all my web activities from most any place I choose.

2. The Wine of the Month Club can be purchased from Amazingclubs for $107.85 and comes with free shipping for three months. What a great gift for a wine connoisseur or even a newbie. I love sampling new wines and would receive two bottles of premium handcrafted wine from distinctive wineries every month. Yumm!! With more people interested in tasting and learning about wines, I could be a gracious hostess and share my discoveries with friends at wine-tasting parties.

3. Digital picture frames: The Discovery digital photo cube at the Discovery store is only $29.95 and stores up to 70 digital photos in full color. The software is easy to use and helps you find and upload your pictures. My family and friends could always be nearby, a constant reminder of what's important in my life, especially during the holidays. No more searching for last year's photo albums which are so yesterday (to steal someone's recent song phrase).

4. The Dutchy CB Doc Handbag: I had to choose at least one gift for the girly fashion shopper in me! This black shoulder bag is vintage-inspired, a favorite style of mine, and is 13" high, 15" wide and 5" deep, perfectly-sized to hold all of life's little necessities that a fashionista can't be without. It has multiple inner pockets, outer flap pockets, a key ring holder and is detailed with subtle thick stitching. It doesn't hurt that the handbag, from Piperlime for $99.00, comes with free shipping and free returns.

5. Finally, my list wouldn't be complete without an eco-conscious gift and these silky bamboo sheets from vivaterra.com truly fit the bill. They are made of 100% bamboo fiber: a renewable, pesticide-free resource for those new to eco and environmental concerns. These sheets are silky-smooth luxury, they stay tucked in without sliding loose to even the deepest mattress and resist wrinkling for the practical laundress side of me. The thread count is 250 and the price varies from queen to king, running from $129.00 to $239.00, depending on size and color.

So, there you have it. My must-have gifts for 2008, with a wide range of prices and styles to enable any of my family and friends to easily purchase those gifts sure to win my heart. I encourage all of them to find me at susanmulcahy.blogspot.com for further conversation and persuasion!

Flying by the seat of your pants

2008-11-18T15:57:00.000-08:00

This post could very easily be retitled, "trial by fire" or the "learn as you go" method. Why? Because these popular catch phrases exactly describe this inital blogging process.
"Trial by fire" as defined by Dictionary.com, refers to "a test of one's abilities to perform well under pressure". And doesn't that aptly define us new bloggers? Newbies, we still struggle to put coherent thought on paper and hope for that unique element that drives traffic to our site to...............respond.
Blogging, though, is also a learn as you go practice. I find that when I immerse myself in something new, learn it from the "bottom up", so to speak, I tend to learn it more completely and forget less of what I've learned along the way. Must be the hands-on component that imbeds this new information in my neurons and keeps it easily accessible for future use. So, in time, blogging becomes more natural, like breathing. Easier to put pen to paper maybe but always birthing unique, thought-provoking material. What is a blogger without reactive posts?
A writer in seclusion.

Welcome to scribbles

2008-11-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

To anyone seeking traditional enlightenment: this may not be the place to find it. Or, it may, depending on your point of view. What you will encounter are (hopefully) thoughtful pieces, well-written, and definitely opinionated. It's hard to go around the track more than a few times and not come out scarred and bruised but sharing those experiences provokes insight to avoid the same mistakes over and over again. Ask anyone who has been a member of a divorce support group. Talking is cathartic. So is writing.
So, welcome. And let's chat it up.