Do you ever have a carnival come to town and set up on the parking lot of the mall? I don’t remember them from when I was a kid, because I think my parents didn’t drive near them. They didn’t want their four urchins begging to stop and ride the ferris wheel! Heck, we got to go to Six Flags Over Texas once each year and The State Fair. Those ought to be enough fun for any kid.

For Only The Good Friday, I wanted to share some pictures of the carnival that has been in Denton this week.

You can click them to see them a bit larger if you would like. Wanna know the best “good” about this carnival? I didn’t have to ride any of the rides! I could just wander through and snap pictures while I watched children giggle and parents grimace.

The Starship looked out of this world. When it got spinning, I was thrilled that I was outside of it!

I almost wanted to ride the swing, but then saw how fast it whirled and tilted!

The carousel might have been my speed, if I hadn’t seen this monkey. What were they thinking? I’m gonna have nightmares!

Ahhh! The teacups. Those I could have handled.

And, there is something for everyone at the carnival. Everyone’s a winner on this. Pick a duck and the number on the bottom tells you what cheap crap … sorry, I forgot I was only talking about good … I meant what delightful toy you win as a prize.

And, what’s a carnival without funnel cakes? I only experienced them vicariously, but this gentleman was kind enough to let me take a picture.

Oh, sure I have tons more pictures, but I don’t want to wear you out. You tell me something good. Or, tell me about a fun carnival experience you had. Or, just say, “hey.” As always, if you are posting for Only The Good, please sign the Mr. Linky so I know where to find you.

I hope your weekend is filled with fun and frolic!

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Only The Good Friday, photographs

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Have y’all ever heard a tiny voice in the back of your head whispering negative things to you? “Pssst! You aren’t good enough.” “Hey, you are not worthy.” Most people hear things like that in their minds occasionally … although some people hear it all the time. Except maybe Stephen Colbert, but even Stephen has to wonder sometimes.

Hidden at the bottom of my blog is some blog bling that I’d venture to guess that most of you have never seen. I’m bringing it to the top today for Only The Good Friday, so you can read it. It’s the Authenticity Pledge by Brené Brown. This week at her blog, she is celebrating what she calls “A Week of Worthiness.” Go ahead. Put your glasses on and read it.

This week, Brené wants us to “wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; I am enough.” She wants us to go “to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.” Does that sound frightening to you? Being optimistic and positive can be frightening if you have never practiced it before. But, we ARE worthy … NOW.

I know that in my life, I have always had a hard time admitting that I am “good” at anything. I secretly admit that I’m a good storyteller, but I rarely say it out loud. During this Week of Worthiness, I’m letting myself believe it, and I’m admitting other things I like about myself. And, I’m wondering if I can celebrate my worthiness for more than a week?

Judith Martin, known to the world as “Miss Manners” said, “It’s far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help.” That is usually true, but today I’m giving you permission. On this Only The Good Friday, please tell yourself, “I am worthy NOW.” And then tell me one good thing that you will admit about yourself. Don’t add any negativity, now. For instance, don’t say, “If I lost twenty pounds I’d be pretty, because I have a pretty face.” Say, “I have a pretty face.” Or, whatever. Maybe you have pretty toenails, I don’t know.

If you are posting for Only The Good Friday, feel free to sign the Mr. Linky (if you leave a comment as well, then I get an e-mail to tell me). If you don’t have a blog, or don’t want to post, please tell me something anyway. I love to know you are there.

I hope y’all have a Friday filled with good … only good.

[Note: I'm at a storytelling festival this weekend, but will drop by to visit as soon as I escape.]

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Post tags: Only The Good Friday, optimism

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I don’t feel guilty for my opinions, but I’ll atone for them anyway on this Only The Good Friday. A few days ago, I wrote a somewhat snarky post questioning a man’s artistic ability. He called himself a “folk artist,” and I was skeptical. I didn’t think he was creating “art for art’s sake;” I thought he was just churning out “art” to make money, turning it from “art” into a “chotchke.” And, as I said, I have seen the artwork that children create.

For instance, last weekend I had the good fortune to perform at the “Take 190 West” Festival in Killeen. This art festival featured an enormous collection of works by the students in the Killeen ISD. Granted that the children made this in art class, so they were working for the reward of a grade. But, I can’t believe that these children don’t create art on their own. It was “awesome” as the teenagers say (over and over in every stinkin’ sentence).

Seeing the artwork these children created took my breath away. When I see the beauty that these kids created, I feel optimistic that the world is a pretty darned good place. It has to be, if children can churn out delightful masterpieces such as these.

Although pictures do not do this artwork justice, I thought I would share a few today for my “good.” Just gaze at them and enjoy. That’s what I did. In fact, I almost forgot to go perform, because I was caught up in the thrill of the exhibit!

Sea of Art

The All Seeing Eye

Even trash is treasure

Perhaps a golden castle?

Shades of the 60s or Purple Haze?

Aren’t those awesome wonderful? Which was your favorite? You’ll probably find more of those pictures on my blog in the weeks to come … I took plenty but only shared a few today.

Now it’s your turn. Tell me something in your world that is good (whether you have decided to post for this meme or not, I’d love to hear from you). If you have written an Only The Good Friday post, leave the URL for it in the Mr. Linky below. I’m looking forward to seeing what you wrote.

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Post tags: Artsy Fartsy Stuff, Only The Good Friday, optimism

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No, I’m not talking about real coffee, although that’s pretty special. I’m talking about “Morning Coffee.” That is my contribution to this week’s Only The Good. It’s an application (or add-on) available for your Mozilla Firefox browser. I had no clue that it existed or that I wanted it until I read a post by Sheila at Newbie Lifeline.

Sheila explains the difference between a web browser and a search engine (if you need that information), but she also listed her top reasons for using Firefox to browse the internet. One of those reasons was Morning Coffee.

What does it do? For me, it’s replacing Google Reader. Basically, it keeps track of the sites or blogs you like to visit. When you want to use it, you open the application and each site opens simultaneously. That might seem crazy to you, but I’ve found I can open it in a new window and work my way through my reading much more efficiently than with Google Reader. I always get overwhelmed when I open a reader, because I see the number of unread posts. I get distracted, close a window, walk away … soon I didn’t get my reading done and I won’t get back to it!

Here’s a screenshot of Morning Coffee:

I was afraid it would be difficult to set the thing up, but it’s a snap. Can you see that itty bitty coffee cup in the toolbar? I’ll wait while you put on your glasses.

OK. When you download the application (which is free, mind you) that cup appears. To add blogs to your list, simply open a blog you read, hover your curser over the cup and options appear. Scroll to “add to my Morning Coffee” and pick what days you want to open it (daily … Wednesdays … MWF … etc). Click that and “Bob’s your uncle,” as they say. When you are ready to read, click on the “Load my Morning Coffee” link, and everything you have selected for that day will open across the browser bar. That’s why you might want to open it in a new window!

Do you use Morning Coffee already — or are you satisfied with a web browser?

I’m still in the process of setting up my Morning Coffee, so leave me a comment and I will add your blog. If you don’t blog … well, why not? You could de-lurk yourself, anyway. If you are participating in Only The Good, leave the URL for your post in the Mr. Linky below. I hope y’all have a weekend filled with good!

© Shelly for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 11 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: All Things "Blogging", Only The Good Friday

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When I finally pried my eyes open this morning, I got to indulge in one of my favorite breakfast treats: a blood orange. Specifically, it was a Moro, with deep red flesh that tastes sweet and mellow. They aren’t available often in my grocery store so when I see them I pounce on them like a duck on a June bug. This was a good way to start my morning.

This orange gets its deep red color from a pigment called anthocyanin, which is often found in flowers. I don’t know if it’s more healthy than other oranges, but a mimosa made with it is gorgeous.

You may notice that this post is linked to Only The Good Friday … and it’s Thursday … isn’t it? It had better be or I am cooked. I have to turn my tax info over to my accountant on Friday, and I’m not quite ready. I won’t dwell on that, because it isn’t “good.” I’m posting early because I’ve made a change in Only The Good and I wanted to give you a heads up in case you’d like to participate. I’m adding Mr. Linky.

[Who am I kidding? I'm posting early because tomorrow is about taxes ... not optimism!]

Since October of 2008, I’ve held myself accountable on Fridays. So often in the media we see only depressing news. I got sick and dadgum tired of it and I decided that each Friday I would only post something “good” — meaning “not negative.” I’m trying to spread on “optimism virus” on the internet. You can read some of the past posts about Only The Good, if you would like.

It’s true that sometimes I post about altruistic things, but I wrote this post to show you how simple an Only The Good Friday can be. You don’t have to go into great detail … it doesn’t have to be anything momentous … it just needs to be something that makes your world happy.

Not many people have participated through those many months, and I’m trying a different approach. Please note that if you’d rather you can call it “Only The Good,” because it has no religious connotation and you don’t have to post on Friday! You can post on any day of the week and come back to link your post on the Mr. Linky for that week.

When you click on the badge below, a new page will open. It will ask you to enter your name and your URL [if you are new to blogging, your URL is the "address" of your post and looks like http:// yourblogname.com/whatever-you-named-the-post/ ] Please use the URL of your “good” post, and not the URL for your site. You can then click on the link to view other participants. You can add Mr. Linky to your own post (optional) so your own readers can participate.

There you go. Participate if you would like, or just leave me a comment telling me something good in your world. I hope your weekend is filled with only the good!

Now, I’m going to eat a blood orange and work on taxes. Somehow, that seems appropriate.

© for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: in the kitchen, Only The Good Friday, optimism

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Hey you North Texas kids! Get out of bed quick. It’s time to build a snowman! Make a snow angel. Have a snowball fight or make an igloo. Boys, you can … ummm …. “write your name” in the snow (sorry, girls, it’s a guy thing — you aren’t properly equipped). Make snow ice cream (thank you Paula Deen) … but do it before the boys write their names. “Yellow snow” ice cream would not be delicious.

Those kids in Denton aren’t listening to me. They are sleeping, because there is no school today. By the time they get up, this winter wonderland will be melting away. That’s a shame, because it’s a sight they will rarely see in Texas.

Looks like we are serving cake.

I know that some of you up North don’t consider 10 inches of snow a large amount and that you are sick and darned tired of snow. In fact, our legislators in Washington are waiting for the snow to end, so they can get back to their debates about “global warming!” But you must realize that it “doesn’t snow much” in Texas. For most of us, this is a delightful “event.” Heck, we drive all the way to Colorado so we can show our children what snow looks like.

Yesterday we received a record snowfall for the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Only twice, since the weather service has recorded it, has this much snow fallen on any given day here. In fact, most winters we don’t get this much snow for the whole season. The good news is that it will probably be in the 50s by tomorrow, so all of this will be gone.

By the time I took that picture in the wee hours of the morning, several inches of snow had already melted. In fact, as I sat listening to snow whisper down yesterday, I watched it melt as it fell.

This is only the good Friday, so (by my own rules) I have to be optimistic about it all. I figure that I have enough firewood to last another day or two, canned goods, coffee, and cat litter … so my world is good enough. I don’t have to venture out, so I can enjoy the spectacle.

My yard looks better with a dusting of snow … not saying much, is it?

See the critter tracks?

If you look hard at the picture, you can see the tracks left by the animals at night. We don’t have pets outside, so those are the marks of the wild critters. I guess that my first task this morning is to put out some food and fresh water.

Because the schools are closed, there should be less drivers on the road, which means less accidents. For those who do have to travel in this mess, I wish you well. Please drive slowly and carefully.

And, if you are in an area where businesses are closing, remember that services like Meals On Wheels (which delivers food to the elderly) is closed, too. If you have an elderly neighbor, you might want to check on them.

On the way to check, throw at least one snowball. C’mon, you know you want to do it.

Y’all stay warm and have a day filled with only the good.

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Post tags: Only The Good Friday, weather

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Some of you know that on this blog I only post good things on Friday. By that, I mean “not negative.” As I told you in the beginning if we look for the good, we are likely to find it. Some days it is harder to find good than on others, but it is necessary for (at least for me) to try to see it. I figure, “Seek and ye shall find.”

These last few weeks have been especially hard for me, because I have battled a lingering cold, exhaustion, and a certain ennui. In the rainy weather, all I have wanted to do is sleep! I’ve wanted to retreat from the world. I have also been experiencing a curious craving for Hostess Twinkies, HoHos, and Ding Dongs! Especially after I saw this image of a wedding cake on the internet. I confess I really wasn’t seeking this:

What were they thinking?

I’d credit the original source, but can’t track it down (it’s on several sites), so if the image is yours — and you are willing to admit it — I apologize. I’d also like to ask you what nightmare you were having when you dreamed up this tasteless concoction? I know that the bride and groom were able to save a piece of cake to eat on their 1st wedding anniversary, because those Hostess Cakes have enough preservatives to last longer than the marriage probably will. I’m just sayin’.

I digressed.

The reason I was craving those nasty cakes, I think, is that they are carbohydrates … supposedly. The ennui, the feeling tired, social withdrawal, and craving carbohydrates (during the dark days of winter) can all be symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder —S.A.D. The good news is that I recognize that I have it and can battle the depression (and that horrible urge to eat HoHos). If you suspect that you suffer from it, see a doctor! The best news is that it usually reverses itself when the sun peeps out again.

I’m told that the sun might come out today!

In Haiti, however, it might start raining, which is bad news for the people living in “tent cities.” For most of them, their “tent” is a blanket or sheet draped over scrap wood. But, I’ve got good news about that:

The best news I can tell you today is an update on my post called Gimme Shelter. On that post, I told y’all that Colorado Bob was trying to raise £490 to buy a Shelter Box to send to Haiti that would house as many as 10 people. My friends, Bob has raised £46,301.43!! ATTABOY!

That will buy NINETY TWO shelter boxes which could house 920 people!! Do you want to donate? It’s very easy to do. Just go to Bob’s site at Just Giving to make a secure on-line donation.

As for me, I’m going to go sit on the porch and seek the sun. I’m also going to stop thinking about Hostess cupcakes! Although, I used to believe that if I ate enough of them the preservatives would keep me looking younger. My sincerest apologies if that image above made you drool, bless your heart. I hope your day is filled with only the good!

© for This Eclectic Life, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Give From The Heart, health, humor, Only The Good Friday

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