Tag: tiny tuesday

Tiny Tuesday!

Today when I took Debby to an appointment, I was in the vicinity of a Burlington department store and dashed in to look for something I wanted in their home goods section, which I found. Would you not know that area is right next to toys? Naturally, I had to walk through, and I’m glad I did. I found a deeply discounted doll–formerly unknown to me–that’s part of Mattel’s Inspiring Women™ series, Madam C.J. Walker.

Beautiful doll to portray the story of an interesting, real person.

It’s cool, because in the Neverending Saga, one of my characters is connected to a family who’s lived on the Mississippi Delta for several generations. In my research, I didn’t find Madam C.J. Walker, so she was a fun discovery today.

Meanwhile, I’m nearing the end of this section of my CDs that I’ve enjoyed as my playlist for a few hours over the past three days.

Van Halen: Self-Titled (1978); Van Halen II (1979) Women and Children First (1980); Fair Warning (1981); Diver Down (1982); 1984 (1984); 5150 (1986); OU812 (1988); For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991); The Best of Both Worlds, 2-CD set(2004).

I’m missing a few and will watch for them in used CD sections at our local music stores. Below is the introduction to “Women In Love,” a piece of music that’s among my favorites. I mean, to me, the entire song is good, but I love the slow intro.

Tiny Tuesday!

It’s funny how these miniatures have come to me at different times and from different sources through the years (they are all pencil sharpeners) because their functions seem to have converged in what I’m writing now. If I wrote Disney movies, they’d all come to life and offer sage advice and guidance.


The Coffee Grinder, The Victrola Phonograph, The Movie Projector, and The Typewriter: Coming Eventually To An Anthropomorphized Novel Near You.

Meanwhile, the recent playlist provided by Harry Styles:

Harry Styles plus Fine Line plus Harry’s House

This One Direction song is allegedly on some most-hated lists. I don’t hate it at all, and I probably need to acquire some One Direction music. (I’m generally years behind any trend.) The version here is acoustic, but I’m wondering about that electric piano/keyboard. Maybe acoustic and unplugged aren’t the same?

Tiny Tuesday!

Post-holiday, as things around Houndstooth Hall begin to get back to normal, it’s time to put away all the Christmas decorations. I’ll start today, but I have no deadline, no pressure.

Usually, at the beginning of the holiday season, one of the first photos I blog is my annual Wallace silver (plated) sleigh bell purchase.


I did get one this year, but I ordered it later than usual, which meant Tom hung the garland later than usual, and I forgot to photograph it before it went up.


It’s always a happy part of our decorations.

This collection began when I received my first sleigh bell from an employer in 1992. The tradition continued through 1995, but I was laid off in ’96. Amy still worked there, and she gave me her sleigh bell that Christmas. Beginning in 1997, I purchased each year’s sleigh bell myself. One year, I decided to find and purchase a previously-owned sleigh bell for 1988, the year Tom and I married.

This year, I found an online seller who had other years’ sleigh bells at a reasonable price. So I treated myself.


Those are the sleigh bells from 1989, 1990, and 1991. This means I now have a sleigh bell from every year we’ve been married, plus one duplicate year from Laura and Jess.

I don’t have any desire to collect back to 1971, the year this series began. Much as I love them, the collection isn’t about the sleigh bells as much as about our years together, our friends and family through the years, and the changes that have shaped our lives. I’ll continue the tradition to celebrate all those things, people, and dogs in future years.

ETA: Just got them off the garland and shot all 36 that were up. This year, some of them are definitely going to need polishing before being returned to storage.

Final ETA: Post-cleaning and polishing all 37. They are so shiny!

Tiny Tuesday!

After hearing some other people’s nightmarish travel stories, I’m very glad we were all safe and sound at Houndstooth Hall yesterday. We had a quiet dinner, a frenzy of gift opening, and some fun surprises all around.

Here are a couple of small things that will make for good times and convenience.

Tom got me a Barbie coloring book. This will be a lot of fun.

I have a portable pencil carrier given to me by Lindsey and Rhonda a few years back. It has often been a lifesaver when I have long wait times for appointments–my own and those of other people I’ve driven places.

Debby found me an additional pencil case, this one with a capacity for more pencils.

I was able to empty several unopened boxes of pencils that have been waiting in the wings for empty slots to come open. You’ll also see a lot of very used pencils here that I replaced in the other portable case.

Lots of room for more!

In the last section, I’ve put some neons, some flesh colors, some white/gray/black, and a set of glowy pencils. Those white sticks are extra erasers that can be used in the red eraser holder pictured.

Great creativity comes in small packages. =)

Tiny Tuesday!

Today is the New Moon in Sagittarius. Here’s a link to a video from Kevin at Houston’s Body Mind and Soul if this interests you. You can also Google for lots more information on any of that, including this year specifically.

I like to focus on setting an intention (sometimes more than one) when it’s a New Moon. These were my little helpers: sandalwood incense, a quartz wand to help me direct my intention, a garnet and ruby, mentioned as helpful by Kevin, and a tiger eye pendulum that seemed to want to come along and help me clear the stones before working with them.

I’m not affiliated with any particular dogma or study. I don’t do these things to affect other people or even outcomes. I do them when I need to feel more at peace with myself and the world; when I start feeling bogged down and want to be clear of those things I think negatively impact me; and when I hope to direct my own positive actions.

Also, Mercury goes retrograde Wednesday (tomorrow, December 13), and I see it as a good time to reflect and seek clarity. In a season as busy as this one, carving out some stillness is good for… well, body, mind, and soul.

Tiny Tuesday!

Tim cracks me up. I was in a text exchange with him and Jim this morning, and I shared this.

And Tim quickly replied:

Then he amended that isn’t always true of K-POP bands, which reminded me that I have Mattel’s Jimin doll from the K-POP band BTS (standing for the Korean phrase Bangtan Sonyeondan, which in English translates to “bullet-resistant boy scouts.”)

Jimin is another of the dolls that represents a character in the Neverending Saga. In 2021, Wardrobe was called in to redo his look to match his character.

The character is a private investigator.

Back to wardrobe! If the Jimin character gets a kilt, that’ll bring the number to seven, same as in BTS, and the shunned doll can rejoin his friends.

This is not faithful to canon, meaning Tim has inadvertently created the first fan fiction for the characters in the Neverending Saga. WITHOUT EVEN READING IT. It’s magic!

I should give props to the band in case you’ve never heard them.

Now I’ll keep thinking of this group of dolls as the Bangtan Scots, which kind of fits, though to my knowledge, only one of the characters is of Scottish descent.

Tiny Tuesday!

First up on the writing playlist. I’ve replaced two more drowned albums…


Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Hard Promises, 1981


Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers, Long After Dark, 1982

…with smaller (if not quite tiny) CDs.

Up next after those are the new offerings from…


John Mellencamp’s Orpheus Descending followed by Wolf Van Halen’s Mammoth II

I look forward to the inspiration. =)