Lucky Seven | Bead Happily Ever After

Lucky 7 March Edition

Posted on March 2, 2011 by crystal

Let’s face it – March can be a dreary month.

It’s far enough away from December that the holiday festivities are just a fuzzy memory.

It can be cold and grey, and let’s not forget windy.

But if this seems like a negative post . . . no way!!! 🙂

For this edition of Lucky Seven I have:

7 Things To Love About March.

1. Spring arrives in March.
We all deserve a lovely spring after the winter we are experiencing.

2. The Crocuses bloom –
sometimes through the snow! Ours are purple and you know how I feel about purple. 😉

3. Hot Cross Buns
Whether you like them or not (I do, but wouldn’t mind if the candied fruits were omitted.), they’re a sure sign that March has arrived.

4. St Patrick’s Day
I’m part Irish and I was literally raised on my grandmother’s Irish bread. (story and recipe here) I’ve already stocked up on ingredients to make a lot of it this month!

5. My oldest daughter is a March baby.
It’s the month I became a mom. 🙂

6. March is the perfect time for adding a touch of spring to the front door.
I’m going to use this wreath for Spring 2011!

7. Daylight Savings Time begins in March
(March 13th to be exact for the U.S. and Canada) and who doesn’t love more hours of daylight!!!

What do you love about March?

Hugs,

Lucky Seven Random Questions

Posted on September 23, 2010 by crystal

Yesterday, I visited Jenny’s blog and read a series of questions that she had been tagged to answer.

She invited her readers to do the same so I snagged a few of them (7 to be exact!) for this week’s Lucky Seven. 🙂

1. What bad habit are you having a hard time breaking? Without a doubt, getting to bed at a decent hour. I’ve forever been a bit of a night owl, but these days I am always trying to finish “just one more thing” before I call it a day. Then I am so tired, I have no chance of seeing the sunrise.

2. What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Ok, I know it sounds corny, but my best decision ever was to say, “I do” to Sir Beads. I can’t imagine that there’s anyone out there who could have been a more loving, giving, or understanding partner for me. He has truly made my life complete.

3. What’s your favorite place for daydreaming?
Hmmm, I suppose it would be in my chair in the living room. I have a lamp-table there and a little magazine rack where I keep various craft books and other fun things that I want to read. I also have a knitting/craft bag nearby and it’s always filled with a few ongoing projects. I love to grab an hour or two in the evening and curl up there to just relax, dream, and maybe plan a project.

4. When do you feel most confident?
I think feeling confident equals feeling comfortable, and feeling comfortable is a state of mind. If you believe things will go well, there’s a much better chance they will. Of course, I have lots of moments when I don’t feel the least bit confident, but I’m most confident when I’m doing something I’ve done many times before – whether it’s cooking a particular meal, or doing a favorite craft, or chatting with someone who knows me well.

5. How long could you go without talking?
(You’re probably thinking, Not very long, Crystal!) 😉
Well . . . although I’ve never been accused of being shy, I can be quietly content for hours at a time. Really! Lol

6. What makes you mad without fail?
Rudeness. There seems to be so much of it out there. We all have stress in our lives. But if we’re having a bad day, I think it’s important to make every effort not to add to the stress of others by taking it out on them!

7. Best way to wrap your guy around your little finger?
Now you don’t expect me to talk about that on a blog, do you? 😉

As always, I’d love to hear your answers to any or all of these questions in your comments!

Hugs,

Summer Love

Posted on July 15, 2010 by crystal

Found this little cutie on sale!

I grin every time I see her . . .

and that little swim tube – too adorable!

Even though I’m not a fan of the hot weather, I still think there are lots of things to love about summer!

For this week’s Lucky Seven, I have:

7 Ways to Enjoy Summer:

1. Go out for ice cream
I’m not sure if this would impress the texting/tweeting kids of today, but before there was air conditioning – packing the whole family into the car after dinner and taking a drive to “cool off” and get an ice cream cone used to be a very BIG deal (and lots of fun, too!).

2. Cook out on the grill.

Better yet, see if hubby or housemate will man the grill while you provide the side dishes.

3. Grab a book,

or your knitting, or your iPod, and find a cool spot to relax on a scorching summer day.

4. Be a tourist in your own hometown.

I’ll bet you haven’t visited some of the attractions in your area that the tourists enjoy. Why not cross one off the list this summer? It’ll be like a mini vacation – without the hotel bill!

5. Put together a simple dinner picnic,

and head for the park, the lake, or to an ocean view if you live near the coast.

6. Stop and smell the ~~[roses]~~ flowers!

Some of the summer flowers are especially fragrant – like phlox, sweet peas, lavender and of course – roses! 😉

7. Go to a summer fair

Check your local newspapers for upcoming church fairs, county fairs, public concerts, or art festivals. You’ll find craft demonstrations, music performances, fine art, dancing exhibitions, and lots of tempting food!

You know, I think I had a shiny nylon-knit bathing suit – just like this – when I was a kid!

What else is there to love about summer? 😀

Hugs,

Fun and Games

Posted on July 1, 2010 by crystal

Do you remember when Trivial Pursuit first came on the scene?

We used to play frequently and, as it turned out, I was pretty good at it.

In fact, my family loved to tease that I must be “secretly studying the questions ahead of time”, LOL!

This edition of Lucky Seven features 7 Bits of Trivia

And I swear I only knew #2 and #4, before today. 😉

1. Every time you lick a stamp, you’re consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

2. The phrase “sleep tight” is based on the fact that early mattresses were filled with straw and held up with rope, which was firmly stretched across the bed frame. A tight sleep was a comfortable sleep.

3. An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.

4. The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law, which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.

5. A group of frogs is called an army. A group of rhinos is called a crash. A group of kangaroos is called a mob.

6.111,111,111 x 111,111,111=12,345,678,987,654,321

7. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.

Do you have a favorite game?

Or maybe another bit of trivia to share with us? 😉

Hugs,

Summertime Food

Posted on May 26, 2010 by crystal

As I write this, I’m breathing a sigh of relief, because the weatherman was wrong when he said the temperature would reach the 90’s here, today. We had the low 80’s, which is ever so much more comfortable. 😉

But there’s no denying that summer is coming! So, as we approach the unofficial start of the season (Memorial Day Weekend), I thought it was time for another installment of Lucky Seven. 😀

For this week, I have . . .

7 Favorite Summertime Foods

1. Corn on the Cob
Sweet and Delish – especially when it’s very fresh!

2. Watermelon (Even better when it’s part of a big ole fruit salad that’s been placed in a scooped-out watermelon shell!)

3. A Hot Dog on the grill is about as traditional as you can get for summer food. Ok, they’re not good for you, but as Socrates once said: “Everything in moderation”. I’ll take mine with plenty of mustard and relish, please!

4. Grilled Veggies
A colorful medley of fresh vegetables with olive oil and herbs, wrapped in foil, and cooked on the grill? Oh la la!

5. Potato Salad
The best is homemade, of course. The ladies in our family liked to add hardboiled eggs and chopped sweet pickles – oh so good! Gosh, I almost drooled on the keyboard. 😉

6. Seafood
Here in New England, lobster and clams are a big part of summer dining. They’re easy to cook and fun to eat at the backyard picnic table, where nobody cares how messy you are!

7. Ice Cream
Whether it’s sundaes, scoops, cones, Klondike Bars, frozen yogurt, or Popsicles – I scream, you scream, we all scream . . . 😉

What are some of your favorite summer foods?

Hugs,