Great Pearls, Good Friends....."Project Pearl Persuasion"

My good friend Nora and myself.Nora hated this photo of herself because she looked so thin and I didn't like this photo much either because I looked
SO HUGE beside her! HA!

My good friend Nora and I have both been so busy that we haven't had time to go do anything together in forever it seems.
So we decided to go to lunch last week.

I told her......that we "could not go...unless we WORE our Pearls."
Because what is the USE of all of us having all this stuff if we can't enjoy it???
Jewelry especially.

She agreed to wear hers.

And I wore mine.



Okay...hers are REAL and are also "antique" Pearls that she inherited from her Aunt.

Mine are "fakes" but they are "nice fakes" that I just happened to "pick up" while while Miss Priss and I were having a "shopping day" without the men at "Macy's" in New York. HA!

GREAT STORE that Macy's by the way.
We have a Macy's here......but it's nothing like theirs believe me.

It's NINE floors!
We found several MAJOR discounts on things we purchased AND we received an overall discount on everything because of those crazy "tour bus passes" we held. That was an unexpected BLESSING as well.



We HAD to go up to the "Christmas" department because my sister Jenny in Iowa asked me to look for "Elf" up there. That's her most favorite movie of all so she wanted me to check out where he worked. Because he worked in the Macy's Store in the movie.
WEll I think they called it "Gimble's" but it's been out of business since the 80's so they really were using Macy's.

Anyway......they were JUST putting out the Christmas merchandise.
I couldn't find Elf anywhere...and I didn't want to "ask for him."

"Attention:......crazy, hick, woman from Louisiana on the 9th Floor"...so we just looked around and bought a few things up there too.
A gift for one of my good friends.
Umm....and one tiny gift for me......an "ornament" for our tree this year. :~)

Miss Priss even bought her "Homecoming" dress there at Macy's too and you should SEE it.
It is Fabulous!!! We got such a great deal on it too...I HATE to even tell you what we spent on it because I think they goofed...big time.

I double checked my bill yesterday when it came in the mail.....and yes....the check out price was correct.
WE thought it ended up being cheaper than the tag price when we bought it.
And it was.....then we recieved another discount on the bill. Cool. I paid the entire balance off tonight and didn't even wince. HA!

I will show you photos later when that night comes for her in November. And I might tell you the price. HA!

I loved this necklace when I saw it so I bought it and the earrings and that was my "one SPLURGE" on my trip and my "momento" for the trip.....

Well..not counting that second Broadway show we hadn't planned on seeing.....yikes! HA!
It was SOOO worth it though...Miss Priss and I LOVED that "Mary Poppins! HA!
I mean HOW many times do you get to go to New York and see Mary Poppins???

Anyhow......don't worry though, as if you would. HA!

I DO have some "real" pearls as well that my husband gave me one year for Christmas...... but they are locked up in our safety deposit box.
I tucked them safely away before the hurricanes..... I need to go and get them so I can start wearing them.

This new "ideal" of mine....is a little something I'm going to call
"Pearl Project Persuasion" and if you have some....why not join us? I say real or fake...lets have some fun right??

Get those babies out and WEAR THEM. What good are then in a BOX.....jewelry box or otherwise.
Such a waste really.

Besides.....in light of the economy.....we may need to pawn these things at some point.

So come on let's enjoy them now girls.

I'm wearing mine all the time now....join me on my "Project Pearl Persuasion" if you wish to.

I say we have a bit of fun and laughter because the news "seems" to be all bad right now.



***Note:
I'm trying to keep things cheerful.
However I did receive an e-mail from an old dear friend of mine in Iowa, whose husband lost his job today.
This is the THIRD person...and second good friend of mine to suffer this in the past two weeks.
Things are getting very tough for many.

Many things.......

Who doesn't just love sweet little violets? They have no pretenses to them at all.

I couldn't resist using this photo tonight because the violets look so pretty and calm and peaceful and well.....purple.
Purple is good.
Plus the sight of them sort of "carries one away" from where your at and take you to someplace else. I felt that while looking at the photo.

They take me back to my Grandparent's backyard in Missouri. I used to pick them as a child and then run with a tightly squeezed, handfuls of them into the house only to hand them off proudly to my Grandmother.

She would in turn, put them in some water in a tiny vase and proudly set them on the table or some other very visual place.

That's a fun memory on a chilly January day. It's good to think back at times and smile. :~)

Many things have been happening. Not just for me but for many people I know personally and "know of."

I'm going to update you all on a few items and push some of my cheesy photos off on you as well at the end of this writing.

Let me state several updates first.
My good friend Nora......firstly....thanks so much to everyone who has prayed.
It has made a difference and it really helped her today.

She went to her Oncologist today.
The report was as we knew it would be....Cancer is back. That is definite.
However, she was told it was probably a "new type" of cancer last week.

It isn't. It's the same one she had previously. She was clear of all cancer in October, now it has "metasticized" and is in some new parts of her body.

She feels "really good" about her report. She told me FIRST thing on the phone when she called me today....."it's the BEST report I could have hoped for."
I feel good that SHE feels good and we will continue to pray for her.

It's still not all roses but you know what.....we are looking at the cup HALF FULL!
Not half empty.
I think that is the biggest part of a battle in most cases of anything.
How you look at it.

It's still "Stage 4"...it's still a "rare" cancer that creates tumors and it is agressive.
Her two Dr.'s (she saw her other Dr. next) told her......
"Your going to be fine."

So...She's pressing onward already!
They will know in two months....what's happening as far as growth and if the going back on the chemo pills are helping or not and if not they will switch things up a bit.
They did not order radiation nor intravenous chemo. They don't treat this particular cancer that way.

They treat it with the pill form of chemo. She already started her new chemo pills today.

Tonight we received word that the Pastor of our church and good friend, is having a consultation with a special "Dr." on Wednesday.
I can't go into great detail right now as you can probably understand, but it is a serious situation and he needs prayer.

Deena. Continue to pray for her she's got a very good disposition in a hard situation as well. I think she's doing great actually!
Check out her blog.
And I don't think I have mentioned to you all of the
"Two Ethan's" that we have been lifting up in prayer.

They are both children.

One "Ethan" is a baby in Arkansas....many people have learned of him or know of him.
He's at St. Jude's right now. Please pray for this family and for Ethan.

The second "Ethan" is a young boy who lives in Iowa in my sister's neighborhood....I think he's 15 years old. He's in a huge battle as well.

These things are ALL very serious.

But we must keep our spirits UP so as not to come under the load of them. That way......we stay "on top"....and that is important.

Sooooo....."Cheesy photos" coming right up now......

Cheesy photo number one is my hick version of some of the very cool photos I see online. It's what I like to call my...."computer desk setting 'Valentine's Extraordinaire.
Ummm......cool tee towels I got for the kitchen for Valentine's....ummm....cool cupid canvas artwork painting that I had...resting on a cute Bettina "Fleur Des Leis" easel that I bought in St. Francisville.

Glitter "Love" banner I found at Target in the "Dollar bargain bin" thing that is in the front of the store.

"Very pretty" glitter gift bag I bought about 4 years ago and had shoved somewhere in a hall closet.....and just found the other day purely by accident....just in TIME for this Valentines Day. Because I've forgotten all these other years.

And here are some other tossed in pink or red items that I thought would match.

Little teapot with red detailing....tissue paper, some shoe "wallies"... silk roses in a tiny vase. Woodwick candle I just had purchased too. They are supposed to "Crackle" when you burn them. Interesting.

Sorry......no fluffy boarders for that shot either.

Next...Gumbo shots.....made it yesterday. Should have done it FRIDAY or SATURDAY when it was sooooo freezing here. But I didn't feel good and was crabby so....I made it yesterday when I felt better and wasn't crabby.

Well.......your going to love this.
I didn't download the "gumbo and cabinet" shots like I thought I had and now my wretched camera is dead so....it won't download.

Guess we will show those photos tomorrow once I check the batteries in the camera.

Please stay tuned.