I Won The Lottery! (Not!)

Well, I didn't actually win an official Lottery, but I won the Lottery for having the best blogging friends! You are the best of the best, you know. :-)

To that end, thanks so much for checking in with me even though I was unable to blog during my company's visit. We had a WONDERFUL time, and it took me a couple of days to recuperate from all the to-ing and fro-ing. I think I packed on an additional five pounds from making a pig of myself, but it was worth every minute of it.

Unfortunately, I'm still not able to blog because my laptop's virus control went wacko and keeps trying to upload itself. I was stuck out of town with it doing that and am going to take my laptop BACK in once again to be loaded PROPERLY. Right this minute, I'm on Mr. Magpie's work computer, and I can only stay on here long enough to do this post. Please know I will visit you as soon as I get my laptop back!

In the mean time, I would love to have your opinion if you would be so kind as to answer these questions:

Do you like your computer/laptop?

If so, why and what type do you have?

If not, why not, and what type do you have?

I would really like to hear what you have to say, so if you read this, please let me know your opinion. Thanks a million! :-)

If I don't get mine back before Thanksgiving, I hope and pray your holiday is a happy and safe one...

Warmly,

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)


P.S. Again, I did NOT win the Lottery. I was just teasing, but if I did win, I would share it with you! xoxoxo

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall...

Who's got the cutest goddaughter of all?



We do! We do!



And she's coming to visit tomorrow for nearly a week! :-)



This little one was tailor-made just for me. I mean, look at her with those sock monkeys. Yep, Magpie Heaven!



And she loves characters from Oz (this is a barefoot "Dorothy" with "Toto")...



And she loves ships in the harbor...



And ice cream at birthday parties...



And cupcakes in tea rooms...



And ballet...



And "interpretative" dance...



And other shiny objects like flowers and such...







And I couldn't love her (or her mother Missy) any more than I already do if my life depended on it! They are my girls!



And if that's not enough, our beloved young godson is coming for the weekend... Cecelia's brother, Clement! YEA!



Along with his wonderful dad, Alan...



And super granddad, Bill, who is celebrating a birthday!



You'd laugh, too, if you knew how old he is.



Just kidding, Brother Bill!



Sort of. ;-)



So we have plans to stir up all kinds of things. If Auntie Mame can find her camera, I'll post pics. If not, please know I will try and visit as time permits.



Oh, and just for the record, I fell going "up the down staircase" AGAIN, and I am hoping I didn't break my arm. Yes, my middle name is Grace. And no, Mr. Squirrel Nutkins did not trip me. ;-)



I'm blaming it on the progressive lenses. They don't move as fast as my feet somehow still manage to do! LOL!

Warmly,

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)

Surely, You Jest!

Sometimes, it seems that the minute I assume I've gotten my life back on track, something else crazy happens...



I'm starting to feel a bit like a character from this jester print...



No, not one of the magpies. But rather the monkey in the corner...



Really??? You, too??? Glad to know I'm in such esteemed company!



This time, for me at least, my tale involves the little critter you see perched like a coonskin cap on our fountain boy's head below...



Looks rather innocent in his sleepy-eyed state, doesn't he?



Adorable little Nutkins, chatting up the fountain boy in exchange for a sip or two of water...



Well, trust me when I tell you, appearances can be deceiving!



Okay, while this particular squirrel is not the culprit in question, it is very likely his first cousin who took it upon himself to chew a hole in our eave...



Yes, Mr. Squirrel Nutkins, be very, very ashamed!



So, while I would much rather be tablescaping and running around, to-ing and fro-ing, between my blog and your blog, I'm afraid I am stuck managing men. And we're not even going to discuss what has been going on in the St. Augustine house. That's a whole 'NOTHER story...



I did, however, have a reprieve yesterday when I had a delightful lunch with my sweet friend Jeanne (Backyard Neighbor) who was in Florida visiting her daughter. We shopped for a few minutes on the way to the car, and I got a fun shiny object for a tablescape...



Any guesses what I bought??? Here's a hint. It looks surprisingly like the critter below and goes on a table...



And no, it's not taxidermied...though, lately, I confess I've been tempted! A little known fact about me is that I was forced by my high school biology teacher to learn how to do taxidermy. Is there any wonder I gravitated toward the arts, instead???



Anyhow, that most wonderful lunch with the lovely Jeanne was followed by a visit from the Ray Ramono clone who happens to be the critter getter...



The good news is, Trapper Robert, an avowed squirrel lover, managed to shoo the squirrels before they did too much damage. Oh, if only you could see a picture of the trap door he wired onto the hole! I'm sorry, but my camera's missing, so you'll have to use your imagination...



But the damage the squirrels did do is going to have to be followed up by a visit from my carpenter. Remember Murphy Brown and her painter, Eldin? Just sayin'...



See, the squirrels didn't just chew up any old eave, but an eave on our main residence, an eave with some antique (or at least vintage) molding that is going to have to be milled and requires matching on three sides. Ching! Ching! ARGH! :-/



So if once again, I'm a bit light on the blogging, I shall return, and hopefully, I will have some more tablescapes in tow. Maybe some of the ones from last fall that I never got to post. Nothing like being a day late [and a dollar short, though it's downright tacky to talk of such things]! ;-)

Warmly,


Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)