The One Where Umbrellas Carry Me Away

Still cleaning up around here after coming home the other day, but I couldn't resist one ore wedding photo of the flower girls and ring barers-  this was an amazing catch because 'one' of them looked like a mud wrestler at the end of the evening!

Must have been the skill of the photography to catch this so perfectly!  Ahhh, I just figured it out-  it was taken on the steps of our house BEFORE we left-  no wonder everybody is so clean and shiny!  Except for the one up there who looks like she might be an import from another family (she was!), all these little blond angels are sibs and the best behaved bunch I have ever encountered.  But, the little dark haired one is the one I love best-  that's Hazel, who I talk about all the time.  She's 4 now, as is the little cut-up on the end, but she wouldn't give him the time of day, prefers to go it alone and catch her own centipedes.

As if we didn't have enough rum over our week away, last night we ended up in a Rum Mixology demonstration before dinner.  I think I like rum now, especially when it's mixed with fruity things and has a load of accoutrements in the glass!  This guy took shaved cucumber, stuck it in ice water where it got stiff and made a great garnish.  AND I could eat it, of course discounting that it sits in rum and I really shouldn't be eating that!  WHAT RUM????  I didn't see any, she says holding an empty glass...

And, a surprise to me, I can actually use all my previously useless  hibiscus blossoms for flavor and coloring!  Darn things only last one day before they curl up and drop, so this way I can get some better use from them.

AND use my paper umbrellas for things other than drink garnishing!

 A great globe lamp shade made of paper drink umbrellas

 With the bulb lit, the ribs and overlap become design elements

 Another method-  using only a half globes

 But why stick to PAPER when the real thing is available?

 LOTs of them always make a grander statement!

And to go along with my personal philosophy, MORE is MORE!  Adding color changes everything!

 negative images!

 Flying with Umbrella-Aid

 Commuting by Umbrella

 And I would be remiss to not include our most famous umbrellist

ooops

Crafty R Us.  Sigh.  I admit to being sleep deprived, as if you didn't know something was up.