Wow! Can You Believe This?

I thought it would be back to the normal routine of things this week. Well, silly me! Lots of excitement for this gal! I got a lovely package from Make Mine Pink. I won a contest for guessing who was wrapped up in a towel on the beach! Well, a lovely bright tropical beach bag has arrived on my doorstep amidst the monsoons we're been experiencing here in the Hudson Valley.

It is the only bright thing around here at the moment. Isn't that fun! Thank you so much, Joyce, for the fun contest and the beautiful gift. It has certainly helped brighten my mood in these dreary days we've been experiencing!

Then, I not only won that contest, I won a contest at Ribbonsmyth, http://www.ribbonsmyth.com/, for leaving a blog comment! Well, heavens knows I never seem to be at a loss for words! I won some beautiful ribbon and embellishments and a 10% off coupon that have got my imagination running on overdrive at the moment. This photo really does not do these treasures justice! Thank you so much, Vicki, for this fun assortment to play with. Ribbons, fabric, buttons,, charms, lace, a card that can hold an insert, a silk bag, and on and on! Now I just need the time to implement all these ideas.

These rains have smooshed or drowned all my seedlings, sigh. Have saved my containers by moving them under a roof overhang. How have the rest of you on the Eastern seaboard fared with this weather? Our local news says we have had rain for 19 days out of 23 this month - yikes!

Have you noticed the neat new widget over to your right? Will you look at those quilt blocks in the Forget Me Not quilt. This is to be raffled off with the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation supporting breast cancer research. You can click right on the widget to buy a chance to win this gorgeous quilt. I certainly don't have to tell everyone what a worthy cause this is. We all know someone who has been affected or have been personally affected by this hateful disease.

This week started my journey toward a Certification in Aromatherapy through Aromahead, http://www.aromahead.com/. With some trepidation, I started reading. Got a little anxious as some chemistry started getting bandied about but now I am finding it's feeling good to flex my brain a little! This course is laid out in such a way that I can digest small chunks of information at a time. Instead of laying out all the chemical make ups that will have to be understood, one or two are described and I can get a handle on it before moving on. Feels like building blocks.

I must say that my nursing background is probably making this a little easier for me because I am familiar with Latin (yeah, I know, I'm dating myself again. Had to have several years of Latin back in the day), already have a handle on anatomy and physiology and vaguely remember some chemistry. So at any rate, in the first couple chapters I have already started to understand dilutions and their uses and the authors have even snuck in a few oils and their uses without me realizing that I learned something cool. If you've ever had a desire to learn about aromatherapy, I would recommend this course. I'm loving the way it's laid out. I'll keep you posted as I keep going. I have to tell you, I forgot how much I enjoy learning. I love the whole process. Taking notes, memorizing different things (even though the author is calming you down telling you not to worry about memorizing it all), the aha moment when random information clicks into a whole concept! Life is good, I'm so happy to have this opportunity.

I am busy trying to come up with some fun ideas for the Make Mine Pink Christmas in July Shop Hop. Going to have some exciting offers for you. For right now, it's a secret! Don't forget to mark your calendars, July 20 is the 'hop off'. Now, people, I want you to get out there and find those shopping bags. I really, really want someone I know to win a prize this time. You can do this!!!

Have a wonderful week all,

Pat