You know you have a true friend when . . .

. . . they send you a log with little kawaii poos on it! (Kawaii poo? Yep. I know. Strange. I talk about it, though, in one of my online classes at http://purplemooseheartart.com. The Japanese have some crazy fun kawaii characters that are always good for cheering people up.)

I bet you guessed the gift was from my friend Marguerite. (She's crazy like me, and has sent me several versions of my favorite kawaii character.) Her new beau Storm was in on the venture, too. I think he gathered the log and moss. M also sent a bouncing strawberry girl. What better present could anyone ask for?! It definitely cheered me up!

Marguerite could tell I was down from all the cold, gray days and snowy weather we've been getting here in southern Michigan. M and Storm live in northern California. I sent M a snowy picture to remind her of what Michigan is like right now. (Marguerite use to live in Michigan.)

You can read some of M's fascinating posts at http://redballoontothemoon.weebly.com/blog

At least we don't live in Boston! We don't live in Maine, either, where my online friends Betty and Victor have been braving out the snow storms. Betty wrote to say they've been buying lots of groceries so they could stay hunkered in. Betty added in her latest email that she is working on a big project involving her own cute character Victorienne.

Betty knows how much I love Paris and Victorian things, just like she and Victor do. You should visit her blog to see some of the fun adventures Victorienne has. http://gossamertearoom.blogspot.com/

Since it's been a long time since I've made a post here on my blog, I'll be brave and post a picture of me singing live at an event two weeks ago. Who knew that pictures taken on a phone would make you look 50 pounds heavier?! Cameras only make you look 10 pounds heavier. Oh well.

Evidently my anxiety/depression medication was working that night, because I can't believe I got up in front of 150+ people to sing.

I thought I'd add one more photo here. No sooner did our oldest daughter, grandson and two dogs leave after staying for a week then it was time for us to dog sit our youngest daughter's two dogs. We have four of our own, so that was almost an entire month of having six dogs running around the house. They always seemed to be taking over my bed, too!

I felt extra nuts the entire time, because all six dogs followed me everywhere I went in the house. I love animals, but six dogs in one house at the same time is too much! Having cabin fever along with six dogs and three cats was about enough to push me over the edge. I haven't been participating in the usual digital challenges or many other things. Hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things soon!

Surprise Gift

I've talked about my special friend Marguerite Bryant many times on my blog before. Yesterday, I received a surprise package from her. It contained a fantastic "kawaii" painting. I don't imagine everyone appreciates kawaii art. It's probably for the more crazy artists among us. Marguerite and I fit that label pretty well. If you aren't familiar with the kawaii style of art, think Hello Kitty, cupcakes with happy faces and, well, you can always do a Google search for other examples.

One of our favorites is a little pile of poo. I know. That probably sounds pretty disgusting. But look how cute this is.

Marguerite took it to a whole new level. Here's a scan of the painting she sent.

 

Each little pile is a very famous artist, kawaii style, of course. It sure put a smile on my face!

If you would like to visit Marguerite's blog and see her other work, the link is: http://redballoontothemoon.weebly.com/blog.html

What would you say if . . .

you received a bag like this in the mail?

Yes, it's a pink bag. When I opened the bag, I found . . .

a beautiful pad of paper with a gold Eiffel Tower on the cover, a bag of lavender tea (which is suppose to help people with sleeping problems) . . .

a fake croissant (which is good, because I'm suppose to be following a gluten free diet now) . . .

and a tiny pile of pink poo! Yes, you read that right. Pink poo. (In case you don't know, poo is a very noble character in Japanese kawaii art. In comes in many colors!)

Getting back to the question, what would you say if you received all of these wonderful things in a pink bag? I'd say, "Yahoo!" I received a present from Marguerite. What else would you expect from someone who lives in Eureka, California?! Thank you so much, M, for all the treasures. By the way, you might know M as the Queen of Tarts. She visits all of my blog tea parties. Anyway, I will especially treasure the pink poo! It's setting on top of my computer screen right now. I'll try the lavender tea tonight. Today is a good day thanks to M!

It's Not Easy Being Poo

My good friend Marguerite, known at times as the Queen of Tarts (lemon tarts, silly), sent me a wonderful gift. (She also appeared as Lady M in the Royal Reception held on my blog on April 29 th.) All of you may not appreciate it, but to me, it's a very special gift. I took a picture of it with my iMac's built-in camera to show you.

 

Those of you in the know may recognize this as an example of kawaii art. If you aren't in the know, you better start Googling. I love kawaii art! I may be old now, but I'm a child at heart. Marguerite very aptly titled this " Poo Poo Pee Poo."  (Copyright April, 2011 by Marguerite Bryant) Thank you, M! This is now one of my very favorite paintings. In fact, if you don't mind, dear friend, I am going to write a children's story with that title. I've written several stories for young people, but haven't had one published yet. Maybe this will become my instant best seller!!! My soon-to-be retired self (egads!) will have the time I need to develop it in the serious manner to which it deserves.