Introducing The iWonderful

It seems that all the world wants an "iPad" for Christmas-- version 1,2,3, and now 3-1/2.  An inventor on our staff has come up with his own tablet that can do SO MUCH MORE-- let me introduce you to the iWonderful!

With its crystal-clear screen, the iWonderful is so easy to use!

 It can make phone calls on using your local phone service-- no cellular phone bill! If, however, you want to connect using your existing cell phone service, and use your existing cell phone number, the iWonderful can do that, too!

It has all the features of other tablets, including a calculator.

The piano feature is oh so real sounding! Much more real sounding than any other tablet on the market!

It can act as a digital scale-- the iWonderful itself only weighs 1.4 ounces!

Games? How about 3-D interactive chess?

You can actually pick up the pieces to move them, instead of swiping the screen with your finger (which is sooo archaic).

Any game you can think of is on the iWonderful!

Dealing with cookies is easy. You can reach right in and grab them. They taste real. I'll bet other tablets won't let you do that.

Nice big screen lets the clock really show up well.

You can write on the tablet with any pencil or pen, no special expensive equipment needed!

The iWonderful takes GREAT photos and videos that are SO REAL!!!! You would think that you were looking through the screen at the actual person!!!!!

However, the playback feature is not always dependable. But there's an app for that! A small camera feature will take photos just like a regular camera does.

The calendar feature is nice and big, easy on the eyes, and movable.

The iWonderful even prints, at the press of a button.

The library for the iWonderful has so many options!

Have fun with the iWonderful flight simulator! 

The iWonderfulEarth app feels like turning a real globe!

The iWonderful even tells the temperature. Want to know what the weather is right where you are? You can take the iWonderful outside and it will tell you!
(Oh-- and it's waterproof!)

There are SO MANY MORE features to the iWonderful!
Interactive projects using the hands?-- origami, finger painting, you name it, the iWonderful has it.
Educational uses? Limitless!
Social media? Your mother can talk to you through the iWonderful and you'd think she was in the same room!
I have not included photos of the microwave feature, the washer/dryer feature, and the ice-maker feature. Anything that you can think of that uses the push of a button, the iWonderful can do it!!!

The iWonderful is not yet available in stores. 
iPad and its special terms are registered names, as you know. 
The iWonderful is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. Consult your doctor if symptoms last more than 2 weeks. 

Thanksgiving Decorations

One last hurrah for Autumn! Today I noticed that the trees were bare-- the very few remaining leaves are hanging on through the wind storms quite bravely. Today a rose bloomed on a bush by the porch!

Pretty little pink rose.

Here are some things we did to decorate for Thanksgiving Dinner:

The prettiest dishes and the silver were brought out for the occasion, and we made place cards for the 15 guests. 

To make a natural centerpiece, I took a walk around the neighborhood and found some curly seed pods-- I'm not sure what kind of tree they come from-- and several leaves, branches and berries from other trees. The tables were narrow, so we had no room for the centerpiece after all the dishes were on, so it became a mantel decoration instead. 

I added photos of local autumn splendor to the display.

 

Making Place Cards

Here's how I and one of my assistants made place cards this year. We had card stock and a heavy regular paper (in light pink) to work with, so we used pink for the ladies and white for the gents. I found wide, wired ribbon in an autumn theme at the dollar store to make a background for the names. 

First we cut and folded our cards to a size suitable for place cards. Then we cut off the orange wired edges of the ribbon, and cut the ribbon into lengths about 1-2 inches longer than the wide part of the cards.

We folded the edges over and taped them behind the cards. 

Ta-Da! 

Then I wrote names in colored pencil on a small bit of card stock, and my assistant wrote over them in a darker colored pencil. This accomplished several things: using two colors gave depth to the writing (it may have even been 3-D if we had thought to put on those funny colored glasses!); my assistant learned how to do a bit of cursive writing; and it gave my assistant something very important to do without misspelling the names. 

Here is a completed card (name has been erased to protect the innocent).

At the dinner table, we put in a small leaf behind each name, tucked into the ribbon part of the card, to make it even more festive. 

Teacup Thursday, "Men of Harlech"

Today I'm sharing a tea cup with you for Teacup Thursday, and for Heart for Homemaking's English cup of Tea link-up. I had my tea already this morning, it was Yorkshire Gold-- and I did not take a picture of that, but I have had the same tea in this teacup before. As a matter of fact, I was drinking tea out of this cup when I had a horrendous closet-cleaning job to do one day. One needs one's refreshment in fine china to get through tasks of that magnitude.
Ahem-- now on the the teacup.
This one has a castle on the front, with daffodils . 

Large, lovely daffodils are on the back, as well. I have not seen many spring flowers on teacups. This one is especially nice to have tea in when the real daffodils are blooming out doors. Don't worry-- cold winter is coming now but in a few months the flowers will be back:)

This Goodwill find is a Royal Albert Bone China cup, part of the Traditional British Songs --Series of Six. This one is "Men of Harlech."

Alas, there was no saucer to match it. But this thrift store saucer sets off the cup nicely. 

It is "Rosina" bone china, made in England. 

Happy Thanksgiving Day, USA!

(click to enlarge)

I hope all my readers have a lovely Thanksgiving Day, and that you may recognize God's blessings all around you! 

Moving Walls

Here's a great idea for small spaces-- movable walls!



Just think of the possibilities! Even if you have an actual house instead of a little apartment, a moving wall could make a room so much more useful! I am imagining:

~A craft room with movable walls-- move a wall to put away the sewing and pull one out to start paper crafting. All storage is built in, with pull down desks and fold-out inspiration boards, little drawers for little thing and large shelves for large things. and even built-in lights where they are needed.

~A toy wall in a child's bedroom. A Lego wall, a dollhouse wall, an art wall, etc. When it is time for clean up you can say "Alright, children, put your walls away."

~Two library walls, facing each other. If you want a book, pull them apart, and there you have a little library room all neat and tidy, and the books won't get dusty. Maybe there is a fold-down bench with cushions built in, too.

~What about an extra baking center wall in the kitchen? What looks like a breakfast nook could actually be extra kitchen work spaces in disguise. What about a wall to permanently  house all the counter-hogging appliances?

Teacup Thursday: Cottage Cup

Today for Teacup Thursday I have a cottage cup to show you. No markings on the bottom, but it looks like it could have been made in England, no? The scene is of a thatched cottage, and a boy fishing off of a bridge. There is a round birdhouse in the corner. I have a pair of these cups but no saucers, and they are fun to use when I serve tea or cocoa to children.  

2012 Christmas Tree Inspiration part 3

It is fun to go to our favorite home improvement center and see the Christmas tree display! One of the self-described "Elves" there graciously allowed me to take pictures to share with my readers. 

(I do apologize for the often blurry photos--the result, I believe, of a certain short person tugging on my other hand. Just pretend you are a Christmas tree artist, who steps back and squints at the art, only I've done the squinting for you.)

These are some of my favorite trees-- with the themes of snowy days and Christmas fun. 

Lots of very big ornaments on this one! And lots of candy-- calorie-and-sugar-free!

The full-length photos of this blue-and-white tree were too blurry, but here are a few of the ornaments on it. Above, a chandelier. 

I really liked this wedgewood-blue reindeer ornament!

Lots of giant snowflakes on this one. I'm not sure about that idea, but I do like the scrolly- "Merry Christmas" sign. 

This was a cute little tree! A lot of the ornaments are made of felt and are very old-fashioned. 

More birds!

This pretty gold tree (the full length photo was, alas, very badly done) had a snowy "home for Christmas" theme. 

A tall, thin tree that had quite an opulent theme of golden, fairy-tale ornaments. 

A golden glittered swan.

Cinderella's slipper?

The "home improvement" tree I think-- judging by the little red ladders! 

More candy! I'm getting fond of that idea...

Cute little red lanterns were on the tree as well. 

I saved one of my favorites for last-- the snowman tree. 

Cute little cuddly snowmen all over it (can you call snowmen cuddly??)

And these really big, non-melt snowballs! 

How can you help but smile:)

That's all folks! Thanks for coming along with me for the "tour!"