Photo Hunt: Theme The View

Every Saturday tnchick posts up a theme for people to post pictures on their blog. This week's theme is The View. Some of the pictures from above are from a cruise I took in late July to the Caribbean! These sunset pictures were taken on the second day at sea, and it was just beautiful. Every few minutes the sun would change, and I couldn't stop snapping my camera. The last picture is from our final stop on Royal Carribean at Labadee. I never thought I'd see water so clear I could see fish!

Photo Hunt: Theme Today is Road

Every week there is a theme posted on Photohunt by tnchick to post a photo on your blog of the theme of the week. This weeks theme is The Road. There are my pictures! They were taken on top of a little mountain village in Sicily! The town is called Erice and over looks the beautiful sea! Many of the streets in the town have cobble stones all around. I just love how it elongates the roads! If you ever go to Sicily, you should definitely check this town out! It's well worth the trip!!!

Asked for help off the street!

I just recently moved into my new apartment, and it has been quite an experience! I ended up renting a trailer to move my furniture from point A to point B. I was able to lift out all of the furniture with the help from my mom, minus the heaviest piece of all: THE SOFA! I was so desperate for help because it looked like it was going to rain that I needed to get it inside immediately. The only thing I could think of was to ask someone on the street, and pay them a little money for helping me.

So I did just that! Thank goodness that there is a restaurant right around the corner from me because I found a strong waiter walking to work just then! At first I wasn't going to ask him, but I didn't really have any other choice, so I ran up to him and told him my situation. He said he would help me, and I am proud to say that I am sitting on my sofa as I am writing this post! He was so nice that he even said if I needed help again, he'd come back and help (but I had everything else under control!) It's nice to know that there are still nice people out in the world!

Have you ever heard of Organic Clothes?

Well I haven't heard of organic clothes, until now! I recently purchased a few t-shirts from a company called Under the Canopy which uses organic cottons. I figured I would try out the clothes, since they were really cute! I particuarly like this shirt shown above! A portion of the price paid goes towards the rain forest. When I purchased a couple of shirts I thought to myself "Will the cotton feel different on my skin? Or am I just becoming more conscious about the environment by buying these clothes?" I think it is a little bit of both. The idea behind buying sustainable clothes is quite interesting because, let's face it, eventually I will either out grow my clothes, or donate them to a thrift store. But after that, I have no control over where my clothes end up. It would be nice to know that if my clothes were thrown away, they would decompose easily, and that at least, in this small way I am actually helping the world.

Now to answer the question about if the cotton feels different on my skin The best way I can describe it is like this: Do you have a t-shirt, underwear, socks, or shorts that you've had for years that has been washed and worn hundreds of times? Now it has that soft very thin feel to it? Well that is how the cotton feels! It's as if you've worn the shirt ten times and it's the first time you're actually wearing it! So in essence, I really like the organic cotton feel and everyone should go check out their website. They do sell clothes for men as well as women along with bedding!

Saw a New/Old Movie called Pride

Yesterday evening I was flipping through the 100s of channels Comcast has to offer, and I came across a movie named Pride. Owen Gleiberman, a movie critic, said Tarrance Howard "takes on the role of one of those inspirational tough-love sports [swim] coaches, and Howard, once again, commands through quiet, summoning the gentle music of a man who is literally trying to find his power as he speaks." The movie is set in the 1970s in Philadelphia where a rec center is forced to shutdown unless it is put to some use. Tarrance Howard tries to find a swim coach job at a predominant prep. high school but is turned down the job. He then goes to a temp agency that gives him work to pack up the rec center because it was going to close. Once he arrives at the rec, he sees that kids still come to the center to play basketball outside. After a couple of days of packing boxes and cleaning, he realizes there is a emptied swimming pool that looks as if it hasn't been used in years.....I'll let you see the rest of it without me ruining it myself.

But I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the movie! I swam competitively for 9 years with people from my team going to the Olympic trials, having fun and racing. The movie brought me back to what the core of swimming was about: enjoyment, even though there maybe ups and downs. These kids that end up creating a swim team and had to deal with racism, which I can imagine would be a horrible experience. But the kids of PDR overcome obstacles and even teach their coach about life! Well anyways I thought it ways a very good movie and moving. If you end up ever watching it, let me know what you think! To check out the movie review click here.

Adopt a dog or cat!

Okay okay, I know I did not adopt a dog or cat today but I did about a month ago. Meet the newest member of my family: Tashi! She is a Shih Tzu, and in the Tibetan language Tashi means good luck. She was brought to the shelter because someone found her roaming around on their front yard. Once she arrived at the shelter, she was checked for a microchip to see if she had an owner. She did have a microchip, but it was not registered to an address. So she was officially LOST. Since I volunteered at the shelter, I decided that I wanted to take her home and adopt her. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Everyday I see her when I wake up, she puts a smile on my face. Now I am so thankful that I volunteered there and found a furry friend!

I adopted her from a no kill animal shelter called Animal Aid that's located in South Florida. The website is updated weekly with new arrivals of cats and dogs of all ages. I am sure they have a perfect companion for you. Adopting an animal is so much better than going through a local breeder or pet shop. It was amazing to see how Tashi transformed into becoming so trustworthy and loyal to me in a matter of days. Have you ever adopted a cat or dog? Share your story!

Check out David Fisher's rotating Dubai building!

David Fisher's Rotating Dubai Skyscraper! I learned something new today just by checking my email. I received a video of the first ever rotating apartment building that will be built in Dubai. Check it out! I love that it's energy efficient as well as aesthetically pleasing. Seeing this video of the building makes me want to go to Dubai and see it in 2010 when it was finished. Let me know what you think of the building! I wonder how energy efficient it will be with the wind turbines?

Tried To Stain a Piece of Furniture!

Many weeks ago I bought two chests from a thrift store that I planned on staining darker. These chests were made by Baker and from the mid century era. When I found them at the thrift shop they were already stained with a lighter blond color that was very popular in the 1950s and 60s. Yesterday was the first time I had a free moment to actually take the time out and learn how to stain the two pieces.

It ended up not being difficult at all. Supplies that were needed to complete the project was a drop cloth or news papers, stain, sponge brushes, paint stripper/thinner, sand paper, or electric sander and wood filler. The first thing that I did was strip the original stain off the chests with paint stripper. I have tried many different paint stripper products, and I the stripper that I like has an orange smell work well. Those do not have such strong chemical fumes, so they won't make your eyes water! So if you can find a product like that, then that's great! Read the directions on how to use the paint stripper, but it's pretty easy to figure out! Next I sanded the pieces so they had a smooth finish. At this point I would also add in the wood filler to any dents or dings that had damaged the piece. Then sand. Next comes the fun part! STAINING!!!! Once you've bought the dye to use, open up the tin, and get the sponge brush out! I just tried to apply smooth and straight strokes going with the grain of the wood. It was quite a calming experience I have to say. It's calming because you are doing a repetitive motion. I found this part to be very enjoyable, and I am definitely looking forward to the next staining project that I do. Have you ever stained anything? Share your experience!!

Phot Hunt Theme: Beautiful

http://tnchick.com/pshunt

So I am a little late with the photo hunter thing this week, but it's been a busy week for me. The theme this week was beautiful, so I thought I would post up this picture of beautiful flowers I saw in Florence! Do you have any beautiful pictures?

Doing a new thing everyday!

I woke up this morning thinning that life is short, and that 1 hour a day I should to try to do something new that I've never done before. Yesterday, by happenstance, I did try something new. I painted poke-a-dots on my toe nails. It ended up being not too difficult to achieve using a tooth pick to put the colorful dots on! First I experimented with different colors to see which ones I wanted to use, and then I decided enough experimenting! I think it was quite successful overall, and may choose to do it again if I have time. Have you ever painted crazy designs on your nails? I will think of something new to do for tomorrow and post up the experience!

Try Something New Artzy Fartzy Everyday

Hello, I am new to this blogging thing, but I hope that you find this as interesting as I do creating my own blog. The goal I have for this blog is to bring inner peace and serenity to myself and others by trying new things everyday. Each day I will post up something I tried new that I've never done before. It can be something as little as reading a new book, or learning to scuba dive. But my main incentive is that I take an hour out of my crazy life to really focus on "me" and Try New Things. From doing this, I hope to learn more about myself and become rounded, centered, and balanced in my everyday life. Hopefully you will enjoy reading my blog and maybe even share similar feelings as I do in trying New Things out.

Also, if you have any things you think are worth trying that take about an hour or less to do, please let me know about it. I will try it out and let you know how it goes. Suggestions are welcome!