Coastal New Year's Greetings: Lighthouses & Beach Images for NYE

Happy Sunday, December 31st! We're on the last day of 2023 and here are some nautical and seashore-themed pictures to usher out the old year and welcome in the new.

Twixmas 2023

On the First Day of Twixmas.....no, I'm kidding, there is no carol for this holiday. 😄

Coastal Christmas: Beach Life Holiday Edition II

Do you love strings of lights in palm trees, lighthouses decorated with garlands of greenery, and sea creatures filling in for reindeer? If you answered "yes", you're in luck, because this is a second installment of beach-themed holiday images.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year....or IS it? (Self Care Holiday Season)

Just a few days away from Christmas - can you believe it?? (me neither!) Sending love & hugs out to anyone who is attempting to navigate this time of the year, who has lost someone, is struggling a bit, or who may not be surrounded by a large, supportive family. We don't all have that, do we? And that's okay if you don't; the idea or perception of a "perfect holiday season", or a "perfect family", is more fantasy than reality these days, and many of us may be dealing with challenging situations.

Vintage Christmas: Coastal Christmas Trailers & RV's

Travel trailers by the sea, old-fashioned RVs, and nostalgic coastal scenes, all decked out in Christmas style. Doesn't this just make you want to hit the road and escape!?

Welcome Winter Solstice (December 21st)

December 21st: good morning! There are just four days until Christmas and today marks the official start of the winter season. Here are some fun images to download and use, post on social media, or to share with thoughts and reflections about this time of the year. I can tell you it's been getting colder the last few weeks in southern Delaware, and each morning it feels perfectly chilly enough for there to be snow! 😄

Mid-Century Modern Style Cats of Christmas

Tuesday, December 19th: a collection of vivid, retro, and whimsical kittens and cats in holiday designs. I got a little carried away and made more of these than I'd planned, but they are so much fun I just couldn't help it! 😂

Coastal Christmas: Beach Life Holiday Edition

Hello there on a late Monday night! Here we are, chugging along toward 123123 (that's the date of 2023's final day - did you know that?) It’s true.... Google it and see. 😃 Christmas is now officially LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY and some of us are beginning to panic just a little teeny, tiny, bit (HA HA) 🤣.

Vintage Christmas: Holiday Bells, Holly and Poinsettia Flowers

Vintage images of Christmas just seem to draw me in and mesmerize me into holiday magic. These designs are of bells, holly, poinsettia flowers, and holiday greetings. I hope you enjoy and that they bring happiness to your heart this season.

Delaware Day | December 7th

Happy Thursday! Today, December 7th, is the First State's official holiday, proclaimed in 1933, chosen to recognize this day in 1787 (!) when Delaware became the first state to ratify the Federal Constitution. That is, of course, what made the second-smallest state in the country, the "First State". (I think it's pretty cool to live in a place with such distinctions, don't you?)

Hello December! Images, Greetings & Graphics for Month #12

The last day of the month....and here I thought it would never actually arrive. Back in July I remember thinking it seemed impossible that we would be in colder weather, almost wintertime, just about ready for Christmas, and it takes my breath away to realize a year could fly by so quickly, and yet we're looking at December, the final chapter of 2023. Wishing you a wonderful, joyful, healthy and happy season ahead, as we navigate the holidays and glide into 2024!

Why Buy Handmade, Handcrafted, or Local Art?

I've been on this trend for about 15 years now, of spending more carefully in an effort to buy where my dollars do more. There are several ways to do this; one of the most rewarding experiences I've found is to really look closely at the dollars we let go of, and consider where we release them into the economy. Hear me out on this, as I share some thoughts on "buying better", and putting my money into the hands of people who will be positively impacted by my choices.

"Making It Through Thanksgiving Week"

Priorities....thoughts....and helpful coping strategies for the week of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Week Thoughts and Greetings

Good morning! It's Monday and here we are. just days away from the start of the holiday season (how DID this happen!?) Am I the only one blindsided by November again? 😆

And then one day, I realized I had to let go

People gave me advice for years....about letting go of the things that bothered and drained me: finding a way to move on from my tendency of focusing on the bad stuff which sucked the air from my lungs and the light from my soul. I couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Because i felt passionately about certain things which I'd obsess over not being able to fix or make better, losses and failures seemed to somehow magnify and overshadow everything else.

Foster Dog Jayla (Three months later)

It's a short but joyful video clip that speaks volumes....

I walked Jayla on a Monday in the summer, I think just a day or two after she'd been brought in, and was worried that maybe she really couldn't actually walk. 😢 

Hilarious Halloween Cartoons

It's time. Once again the irresistible lure of sarcasm and holiday spirit have collided, resulting in my annual need to gather funny things together. 😄 Wacky witch cooks, Pumpkin humor, and seasonal October silliness ahead! 🍂🎃🍁😁

All About Candy Corn

October 30th: Happy National Candy Corn Day! If you are a fan of these triangles of yumminess, then you may enjoy different color variations all year long, but for many of us, we stick to just the traditional yellow, orange, and white kernels.

What You Should Know Before Giving Up Your Pet Or Surrendering them to a Shelter

Before you dump that dog because it's old, stubborn, barks too much, or the most often used phrase "we don't have enough time for it", you should know......

Inspiration and Wisdom: Steve Jobs Day (October 16th)

I've always been drawn to the statements and quotes of Steve Jobs. A brilliant thinker and doer, his work lives on in the Apple brand, while his words and inspiration will forever encourage entrepreneurs and innovators everywhere. Today, on the anniversary of his passing, October 16th, which has been chosen as Steve Jobs Day, are some of his most powerful phrases.

Truly inspiring people may live ordinary lives, but if wisdom and knowledge lives on in their words, they are remembered forever.

RIP Steve Jobs.

 

National M&M's Day (October 13th)

Happy Friday the 13th and National M&M Day. Who doesn't love these fun and colorful candies and their cartoon characters? I actually was hoping by today to have unearthed my collection of dispensers from storage so I could share pictures with you.....there is a LOT of M&M merchandise out there, and as the owner of a candy shop I'd collected a large amount of memorabilia over the years. Look for that post coming up soon, but for today we'll just celebrate these cheerful little candies.

The Bar at the Inlet | Ocean City, Maryland

Stopped into one of our favorite places on the boardwalk today, The Bar at the Inlet, located in the Trimper's Inlet Lodge building. Right off the world-famous Ocean City boardwalk, just steps from the hustle and bustle of visitors, cyclists, dog-walkers, trams, and countless visitors, sits an opportunity to step back in time.

The Love We Find, and the People We Lose

93 days later.

How two people can connect and bond and laugh together so well....almost like they've known each other for a lifetime....and then fall apart....is beyond me.

National Good Neighbor Day "Unity through Community"

"A good neighbor is a beautiful blessing in our lives."

Sometimes it seems that our world is too hectic...sometimes we get so caught up trying to do too much, hyper-focused on the busyness of life, often to the point of forgetting the little daily connections which once made our lives richer. Maybe we just miss out on the part about caring for others, having conversations and day to day exchanges and hellos, because we're busy, but at the same time, we speak wistfully of the previous decades as if such interaction was one of the best parts of our lives. 

 

Last Day of Summer

September 22nd: I'm having mixed feelings this morning on the last day of summer.....what a whirlwind the last few months have been. The first half of the year was a time of growth and discovery; a season of exciting new possibilities and stepping out of my often-introverted self, followed abruptly by several eye-opening, challenging and painful events.

"With Great Love Also Comes Great Loss"

Four little words which have been running through this year like a rippling stream, reminding me that with great love, friendship, kindness and caring, there is also great loss. Four words to describe a painful year of letting go......stumbling; falling; breaking; surviving.

Avast, me Hearties! It be International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Happy 19th day of September to you. We've sailed into that exceptionally delightful occasion where it's perfectly acceptable to pretend to be someone else, as long as that someone else is a seafaring, ship-dwelling, dastardly pirate. ☠️🏴‍☠️ (I mean, really....who DOESN'T love this day?) 😄

Bringing Home a new Furry Family Member

Congratulations! You've just adopted a new pet and are eager to bring them home and have them meet the other four-legged residents at your house. It's all going to go like clockwork...
right? Well, the arrival of a new dog or cat is a lot of fun, but it can also be an anxious time for everyone; current pets may feel jealous, kids might be a such a rush to hold and pet the new dog, and the incoming animal may easily be very overwhelmed by it all. This is all completely understandable, but I don't want you to feel helpless or lost! Here are a few tips and some perspective from our years of introducing new animals which I think you'll find helpful.

Why We Introduce a New Pet into our Home SLOWLY (Foster Dog Jayla)

We're three days into our foster journey with this adorable Pit Bull/bulldog mix, and people are asking me how Jayla gets along with our other dogs. We have no idea! Because we have always done a slow intro for any new animal - which means no contact for two weeks at the minimum, and longer if necessary - we have not had her around the other dogs and cats yet. This is the part many people don't consider when bringing in a new family member, but if you just adopted a forever pet, why rush things? There's need to stress out the newcomer, risk putting animals together too soon and start a fight, or make your current animals jealous without doing this procedure carefully.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

Good morning folks ❤️🤍💙 I hope you will be enjoying a wonderful holiday weekend ahead. The weather is beautiful, isn't it? 😀 (to see larger versions of any of these images, click to open the full-size in a new window).

Second Chances and Throwaway Dogs (Meadow)

The beautiful face of a dog who's waited and waited.....

Meadow is a shelter dog, who's current home is a kennel in Wicomico County, Maryland. She's a little bit hyper when you walk by; often leaping enthusiastically at the gate, so very eager to get outside into the real world. But once outdoors, she pauses to sniff the fresh air, look at the open space around her; sniff and take as many steps as she wants to without running into the end of her kennel. That's how I got this picture, as we sat together on the curb of the street where we walk shelter pups, as she looked around and just relaxed into....being a dog.

The Valor House Restaurant | Pittsville, Maryland

Tucked away off busy Route 50 on Maryland's eastern shore is an unassuming local hangout that's become one of our go-to favorites. Operated for decades as the Dave White's Pittsville Dinette, the restaurant closed when the owner retired in 2017, following 28-plus years of feeding local residents and guests. I mourned the loss of this place because far too often, such establishments fail to reopen, and we were thrilled to learn of it's rebirth as The Valor House in 2021.