Patience Young Grasshopper

Did you guys ever watch the Kung Fu T.V. series as a kid? I may be giving away my age here, but it was one of my favorite shows (that, and Taxi!) Anyway, there has been a proliferation of grasshoppers and Praying Mantis (Manti?) in my neighborhood...I have been seeing them EVERYWHERE! And that got me thinking about the Kung Fu series, because the 'Master' is always telling his student "Patience, young grasshopper."

I am a worrier, I tend to fret over things I have no control of, even though I know worrying is like praying for what you DON'T want. It's something I've been consciously working on. The other day I was sitting on my patio and my eye fell right on this guy, perched on one of my garden stools....

I ran to grab my camera, wanting to snap a picture before it hopped away. I was able to get this one shot before it disappeared...I didn't even see it move, it was just there and then it wasn't. You might be asking 'what's the big deal about a grasshopper?'

Well, the 'big' deal is how small it was....the tiniest grasshopper I've ever seen. It was no bigger than (ne, even smaller than) a Tic-Tac mint. It was so tiny, it made me laugh for some reason....so perfectly formed and so miniscule.

Anyway, I started thinking about things and how useless it is to worry. We all go through trials, we all have our ups and downs, but things usually seem to work out. I forget where I saw it, but I read this quote recently, which I took to heart: "It will all be okay in the end....If it's not okay, it's not the end."  And in the waiting, for the trials to end, for the good times to come, for the worry to fade, just remember............

Patience Young Grasshopper. 

BTW, don't forget I have a givewaway going on right now for a Novica giftcard!! Go here to enter!

Novica Review and a Giveaway!

Hey everybody, I have some pretty exciting news!! I am partnering with Novica to host my first ever review and giveaway! Do you guys know about Novica? I had heard of them before, but never seen the wide array of products they offer, all fair trade certified and in association with National Geographic. See their mission statement here. Novica contacted me a few weeks ago, asking if I wanted to do a product review? Heck yes! And what's even better, one lucky reader will win a giftcard to shop across any of Novica's product lines!! Cool, right?! Details on the giveaway at the end of this post.

I went to their website and was really surprised at the variety of product they offer...everything from bells to finger-puppets, tapestries to capri pants, and TONS of beautiful silver jewelry, like all these cool Silver Cocktail Rings. 

 After much deliberation, I ordered these pillow covers.

HERE

I haven't received them yet, but I will let you know when I do...I can't wait! I really love the delicate embroidery and the colors are so pretty.

One thing about ordering from Novica: because they are partnering with artisans for fair trade, quantities are limited! If you see something you love, you should probably get it, since it might not be there later.

Here are some of my favorite picks from their site:

Gorgeous Choker Here. I want this!

 

1. Here        2. Here

1. Here    2. Here

In addition to the pillows covers I ordered, there were sooo many really neat ones to choose from. 1. Here 2. Here.

My favorite thing on the whole site was probably 1. this sweet little enameled brass bowl...so pretty!  2. this pineapple spoon rest would be perfect to stash jewelry in.

Cool Artwork 1. 2. 3. 4.

In the southwest, these tumblers are a staple in tableware. 1. 2.

Super cool, graphic tapestry, here.

See? So many options! 

Now about the giveaway......
One reader will win a Novica gift certificate in the amount of $37.50! This giveaway will be open until Sept. 26th at midnight, and is open to U.S. residents only, in the 48 contiguous states (Novica ships worldwide, from what I can tell, but the shipping amount to anywhere other than the states would eat up the entire gift card!)
To enter, 'follow' me, if you don't do so already, and leave me a comment (scroll to bottom of post and click 'click here to leave a comment!')
For an additional entry, leave me a comment telling me which Novica item is your favorite.
For an extra entry, 'like' my facebook page here.

Winner will be selected using Random.org's true random number generator.

**I was compensated with a giftcard code to purchase product from the Novica website, in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

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