2025: Day 18....."Winter Action on the Lake"

My view out the window. 

We have some energizer bunnies out there

 on Wolverine Lake.

Ice rink. Pretty nice size one too.

Snowmobile swirlers and twirlers.

You go people.

I'm reading a good book.

2025: Day 17....."Syngonium Little Star/Real/Unreal"

Took some creative license. 

Used the Apple feature that crops out the background.

I love the way it races around the outline of the

part you want to crop. 

Not perfect but then there are

apps to erase its mistakes and gives me a chance

to use my Apple Pencil and Snapseed to 

brighten things up.

Added some frosted windows in the background

 and made them blue-ish.

Unreal. Fake. Yet a real plant I have that's 

from the rainforest in Central America and I

purchased it from Home Depot.

That's how the world works in 2025.

2025: Day 16....."I spy with my little eye"

 I'm that person who wonders what other

good books people are reading.

I would be that person on a plane looking 

more at the book in your hand than your face.

I was at Panera and I noticed a lady my age sit

down with her lunch and a book.

I was so curious.

I was ready to leave so I casually (I hope) put on

my coat while closer to her table and took a peek.

This is the book I am now reading.

Thanks Panera Lady.

I'm on Chapter 7 and it's good.

I like the Panera Lady's choice in books.

Recommendations are helpful and they

all can't come from 

Amazon or Facebook Book sites.....

or Susie next door.

2025: Day 15....."If I could sing"

 If I could sing like one person my #1 choice would be

JANIS JOPLIN.

But I can't sing.

But I do… only in the car by myself.

Janis Joplin's voice is like no other.

It has so much rustic raw emotion.

She kills it on every song.

I’m wowed by her. I wish I knew her in person.

It might have been rough knowing her but

it would have been amazing and unforgettable.

This would have been her 

groupie/best friend/time traveler who could sing.

2025: Day 14....."Glitter in our eyes"

 Yes. We've been known to get

glitter in our eyes. 

Also, glitter along our

arms and in surprising places.

Glitter and foamcore go together 

like peanut & jelly.

It helps that we love glitter.

But we also agree to make things

without glitter so don't feel bad for

asking us to refrain from sparkling up.

We can handle it.

But pretty much 90% of our candlelighting

centerpieces have glitter.

Only about 10% of our guitar centerpieces 

have glitter accents but the trend is gaining traction.

I can't image there is a color glitter we don't have or are

not willing to scout out and add to our collection.

But I will tell you that black glitter is my least favorite.

It catches no light by it's very nature.

Not sure why they even make it.

But we have it.

Sparkle 'n Shine.

2025: Day 13....."Plants on a Plane"

A year ago I brought some leaves

home from Florida on a plane.

The lady at the Airbnb we 

stayed at threw out many long

vines of these in the trash in

front of her house.

I gasped when I saw them.

I pulled some out

because I do things like that.

I only had a small carry on to

return home with since we

were flying cheaply and didn't stay 

too long in Florida (only a long weekend).

I snipped them into segments making

sure to have a node on each segment.

Then I stacked them between wet

paper towels and put them in a

ziplock bag and hoped for the best.

I wasn't sure TSA would let me bring

them home but they did. 

They scanned them and I went on my way.

I had about 5 leaves.

Oh I so wish I could have brought the

entire garbage can home with me!

Why didn't I think of this solution?

I left them in water for 

a few months until they rooted.

Then I planted them.

By then the original leaves were

getting pretty ratty so I clipped them off.

Here's what I have a year later.

Hawaiian Pothos.

Not huge leaves but big enough

for me and glorious variation.

2025 Version

About 3 feet high now.
 

 

2025: Day 12…..”Elvis in Beale Street”

Sunday Funday included some delicious ribs 

and collard greens from

Beale Street Smokehouse in Fenton.

As good as the food was, the decor was

just as fun……especially 

the fun Elvis memorabilia wall.

Here's my Google Maps Review of it in 2024 in case

you might want to check it out for yourself.

2025: Day 11....."Peanut Cactus"

It took a long time for cactus plants to grow on me.

I mean not really grow ON me..grow with me.

 I LOVE this one.

It started so little in early 2024 but I didn't care.

I like to get to know a plant.

I purchased it at Willow Greenhouse

here in Michigan.

I was hoping it would curl and drape and it did!

I have it in my bedroom in an east window.

I've occasionally added a bit of cactus fertilizer.

(See pic below.)

It knows I love it.

You know plants really do know if you love them, right?

It is alive after all.

 

2025: Day 10....."Job Descriptions"

We ship out guitar centerpieces almost every week.

Sometimes just one.

Sometimes many.

Yes. Some assembly is required but 

we make it SO EASY to do!

Guitars are a staple around here and fit in well with

all the other themes we do.

We especially love the ones we put a unique logo on the body.

Sometimes we fill up the whole body of the guitar with the logo.

Sometimes the logo is simple yet elegantly only on the bottom.

We suggest a design and then change it up as requested.

These foamcore guitars are one of the most 

favorite things we do.

I'm the shipping department on this here ranch

so I appreciate how they stack

and fit in a shipping box so 

efficiently & economically.

Stacey is the "Maker-of-Stuff" and 

I'm the "Boxer-Upper".

Our official titles.  Ha Ha.

I'm also the "Let's Connect" person.

You get me if you call or email.

Stacey is also known as the 

"Grannie Baby Bouncer" in her 

spare time.

2025: Day 9....."Memories"

 California.

Heart wrenching.

What do you take 

when you have to leave and

can't take everything.

Of course, your family & pets.

But, after that, your memories.

Your irreplaceable & meaningful memories

in your heart and soul & what fits

in your hand or car.

But never enough.

The time spent making a 

comfortable haven with memories 

you've stored there turning into 

ashes would be so brutal.

Crushingly immensely too much loss in California.

I'd take this.

And this.

Among other things.

2025: Day 8....."Gift Card Box & Candlelighting Set"

We started the New Year with something 

fun, pretty and matchy-matchy. 

A set.

A gift card box and a matching 

candle lighting centerpiece

based on a great logo from our

party decorator friend Lauren Loomis.

This blog isn't going to be just about

party decorating stuff but I had to 

include these because I love them!

And.........

I'm heading towards that January 10th

deadline that is called "Quitter's Day" for people

giving up their resolutions to stick to something.

If I make that day, then the next one is Jan 17

and it's called "Ditch New Year's resolution Day"

My resolution is to do a post a day

all thru 2025.

Anything I want to post.

I can do that.

I think.

I've heard that if you do something for

3 weeks it becomes a habit in your brain.

Surely I can do that.

I think.

2025: Day 7....."Michigan Winter"

I miss the leaves.

But the empty trees have a sort of graceful look.

The lake is frozen.

Not safely frozen though. Lightly. 

Probably only an inch.

Wind chill is in the teens.

The kind of weather that hurts your face.

I miss eating outside under my umbrella and

looking at a moving lake.

BUT...there is the fact that a heated blanket is

a delicious thing and furry thick clothing is so cozy.

Heavy socks can be delightful.

I love those.

Stacks of blankets and new pillows replace

flowers in the garden 

popping out of the ground for treats.

I'm ok with it.

 

2025: Day 6....."Detroit Lions vs. Hopcat"

 

Okay. I get it.

Hooray for the Lions.

But I wouldn't pay the high price for those stadium tickets.

Before the game we had some Sunday Funday at Hopcat.

Our bartender said he contemplated buying a $600 ticket but his 

girlfriend wouldn't go so he decided to work instead. (Good call.)

Because $1200 for a football game for 2?

Uh....no.

Where I ended up watching the game was is in my cozy bed.

But I feel the excitement and happiness for all the

goodness it brings Detroit.

Hopcat before the game was more my jam.

Had a great beer and it wasn't $18 for

a can of Bud Lite like it is at the stadium I hear.

But hey...that restroom 

at HopCat is CRAZY and just

my jam too. You'll never walk out the door 

without feeling like you need to tell 

someone else about it.

Kinda like talking about football to some.

2025: Day 5....."Over achievers Christmas lights"

 Not my house.

So glad it's not because it's 20 degrees here and

I wouldn't want that job to dismantle and 

store away these lights.

I'd turn them off and hide or fly to Florida

or Arizona until spring.

But they sure were pretty and fun to look at.

Thank you to those industrious over achievers

whoever you are over there in White Lake.

2025: Day 4....."Favorite Photo Apps"

I love photo apps to change up a standard photo.

(I used multiple ones on this photo but mostly the 

free app Brushstroke.)

I always like to see what other folks use and give them a try.

So here's some of my favorites.

I mostly go for free ones.

But I do pay for Photo Lab, Peachy and Live Collage.

Juxtaposer is free and one of my most favorites 

because I love changing backgrounds to something fake.

So don't ever believe I'm really in the tropics if you see that.

Snapseed is my favorite for adding highlights 

that can really make things pop.

Creative Fabrica (online) has a great background remover but

I also use Retouch with a free once a day feature.

Juxtaposer has one also that allows you to touch up

what they miss on the first go around.

iColorama is loaded with so many features 

I couldn't begin to describe them all.  

I understand it's made and maintained by a lady

in the Ukraine who's made other quality apps.

A favorite feature is the 'coherence' tab that

smooths a picture brilliantly and also has a huge amount 

of paper and canvas overlays that makes things more artistic.

I'm still on the learning curve on this big app.

I probably use Live Collage the most and I pay about $5 bucks

monthly for the pleasure of it's robust & user friendly variety of 

both photo and video options that work great on my iPad.

I decided to cancel it once because I can be very frugal

that way but I had to re-up because I found 

nothing comparable and I missed it.

(This isn't a sponsored ad by the way. They don't

even know me.)