So who wins the BIG Bow Contest????

So here you go Melissa! This is my mommy. I would say this is about 1949 or so. The scan is not very good & there seems to have been stuff n the flatbed, but it's all about the bow anyway!

Almost every picture that I have of my mom has her in one or even two bows! I am so glad that by the time I came along they were reduced to ribbons. But then my poor girls came along around the time when those barrettes with tons of ribbons & stuff were in style. The other picture is me with my ribbons and my girls one just in piggy tails & the other in one of those gaudy barrettes. What was I thinking!

Guess What This Is!

Go on, guess!

This is what I see when I look out of the sunroof of my car! At least the last couple of days.

Absolutely beautiful picture perfect days. Forget the fact that every other day I feel like crap. At least I have something nice to see when I look out the window. It does help. Imagine feeling bad and the day being depressing as well!

Sand Fantasy

This is amazing! Using only sand & her hands!

Submarine Races!

Many moons ago, I remember being asked if I wanted to go see the submarine races. At the time, I was somewhat naive and actually thought that we would be going to an actual race! I didn't want to seem stupid by asking how we would know who was winning. I just figured that the subs would have flags attached or something. So we get to the beach and I figured that the race had been cancelled since no one else was around. I was finally clued in on the supposed races and although I was a wee bit disappointed, that wore off rather quick. You learn something new every day. That day I learned, not only that there was no such thing as submarine races but that boys come up with weird little names for everything!

I would not have survived in the '50's!

Married life - 1950s style

Ever wondered what it would be like if you were preparing for your wedding in another time or place?
Here's a n exerpt from a home economics textbook - a taste of what a bride to be could expect to be learning in the 1950s and how it compares to life, today.

Have Dinner Ready

* 1950: Plan ahead to have a delicious meal ready on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is indeed part of a warm welcome

* Now: Plan ahead to have a table booked early. If you're busy, or having a bad day, phone him to let him know where and when you'd like to eat and expect him to deal with it. This lets him know that you've had a bad day and gives him the chance to cheer you up.

Prepare yourself:

* 1950: Take 15 minutes to rest before he arrives home, so that you will be refreshed for his arrival. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with alot of work-weary men, so be gay and little more interesting. His day has been boring and he needs a lift.

* Now: Take 15 minutes to look through any sale racks you may encounter on the way home. A new outfit will give you the lift you need after a boring day. A quick stop at the "LANCÔME" will also do wonders for your outlook and will keep you from becoming irritated every time he opens his mouth. He's just spent 8 hours at work ,so he can afford the credit card bills, so make sure you show you're thinking about him by using his.

Clear away the clutter

* 1950: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

* Now: Call the Kids and tell them that anything left on the floor in 5 minutes will be posted on Ebay.

Prepare the children

* 1950: Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.

* Now: Ensure they've all got friends to visit with, or send them up to their rooms to play on the computer (if necessary).

Minimize the noise

* 1950: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise by shutting off the dishwasher, washer, dryer, or vaccum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him and greet him warmly, don't greet him with problems or complaints. If he's late for dinner, consider it trivial compared to what he's been through, during his day.

* Now: At the time of his arrival, get the kids to be quiet- because you'll be in the bath, tying to enjoy a good book and a glass of wine. If he dains to enter, decide whether you're in the mood or not, and then shoo him out.

Some Don'ts

* 1950's: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day.

* Now: Let him speak first, and then your complaints will get more attentionand remain fresh in his mind throughout dinner. Don't complain ifhe's late for dinner; simply remind him that the leftovers are inthe refrigerator and you left the dishes for him to do.

Make him comfortable

* 1950: Greet him at the door and take off his coat and shoes. Suggest he sit back in a comfortable chair or lie down in the bedroom, depending on the weather, have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax-unwind
* Now: Remind him to take his shoes off at the door - as to not dirty the floor and tell him where he can find a blanket if he''s cold, to show him you're concerned about his needs.


Listen to him

* 1950: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of arrival is not the time, Let him talk first.

* Now: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but if you speak too soon, he'll get the last word. Let him talk first.

Make the evening his

* 1950:Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

* Now: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, phone your friends and go with them.

The Goal

* 1950: The goal: Try to make you home a place of peace and order whereyour husband can relax.

* Now: The Goal: Try to keep things amicable without reminding him that he only thinks the world revolves around him.

Pass the Kleenex

The days have been pretty yucky around here for the past couple of days, today is absolutely gorgeous though. Temps dipped in the middle of the afternoon yesterday and I bet that's what made me sick! From 80 to 50 then tomorrow it's supposed to be warm then the next day cold again. Doctors are going to be makin a killing within the next few days. I bet they are resposible in the first place, they probably cut a deal with mother nature! Well, my doc won't be seeing me. I'll pop my Tylenol & some Comtrex & hope for the best. It's the weekend, I shouldn't be sick.

I am avoiding the girls like the plague. I would hate for them to get sick. I also would hate for Danny to get sick.... he's worse than a baby.

ALMOST TiVo!

OK, advance warning here. Danny has just called me officially wacko! It's not that I'm really crazy, it's just that it really doesn't take much to make me happy. I have mentioned in the past that I was not very happy with my Direct TV DVR. No season pass was one of my main peeves. WELL, I went to set my shows to record tomorrow (Must See TV Thursday) and it gave me the option to record once or to record series! OMG! I literally flew down the stairs to tell Danny, He just sat there and shook his head. This is something major for me, especially since I generally forget to set the dang thing. Oh Well, I'm a very happy camper today. Or at least I am now. Earlier in the day I found out that the Ironman Triathalon is taking place in Kona on the day that I had planned on being there so now I have to rearrange the entire trip. So this little DVR moment sure cheered me up. Let's see if tomorrow can top it!

Meetings or No Meetings

I did really well last week. Four pounds lost. Then came the weekend. One pound on. The story of my life. I have been counting points but I also have been seriously considering going to the meetings. Maybe a little bit of public humiliation may do the trick.

Today for dinner I made WW Chicken Marsala. 4 Points total and not bad at all. Even my proverbial stick in the mud, anti-diet husband enjoyed it. Although, his serving wasn't quite the same size as mine but it wasn't what he normally serves himself either. He's still downstairs supposedly working on the computer, probably raiding the fridge.

Here's the recipe if anyone is interested. I cut the chicken into chunks, cooked faster that way.

WW Chicken Marsala 4 pts

1/2 cup wine
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp table salt
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup mushroom(s)
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/4 cup canned beef broth
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp dried thyme


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender and releasing liquid, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place chicken on a plate and season both sides with thyme, salt and pepper. Move mushrooms to outer edge of skillet once cooked. Place chicken in center of skillet and sauté until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Add wine to skillet; simmer 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of broth and simmer, uncovered, until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/2 cup of broth in a small bowl; add to skillet. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring constantly and incorporating mushrooms into the liquid, about 1 minute. Serve chicken with mushroom sauce spooned over top. Yields about 3 ounces of chicken and 1/3 cup of sauce per serving.

Blog Party!

Hey, I love parties & this sounds like fun! Click on the blingy under my slides on the sidebar for all the details!

Everyone is invited.

80's Hair

Well, I don't know if it is real or not, but I just about peed my pants when I saw this. I have a slight Flickr addiction and I've come across some pretty funny pictures but this one just made me crack up! It does look photoshopped, especially the poor child, but it's still hilarious!

80's hair! I so remember that. The teasing comb and hairpray were my best friends. The other picture is not very clear. But that's me around 1988. I am 2 inches taller in that picture and it's all because of the hair!

Miami

We have awakened to beautiful mornings these past couple of days. Sunny & in the low 80's. Reminds me about the only reason that I like living here. Again, I must disclose that none of the picures in the mosaic were taken by me. All 100% Miami though.

Obviously, I don't have much to say. It has been a very lazy weekend & I would hate to bore with my Blockbuster weekend. :)

Compulsive Hoarding

Well, there you go. It's apparently a real medical condition. See my 1/12 post to see the extent of my illness. Danny has it in a different way as well. He hates to throw anything out. "Because, you never know when you might need it!"

I learned of this condition after looking through tonight's TV listings. I guess I'll be Tivo-ing Primetime. Although I can assure you it is in no way, even remotely as bad here. But I want to show him what he can become. I'll just fast forward through the part about "We hoard, collect and buy more stuff than we have room to store. "

Panda-monium

Although this is old news, I thought the cuteness factor made it worth re-posting. Pandas are among my top 3 favorite animals. Dolphins, Chimps & Pandas to be exact.

More cute pictures here.

It is now 2PM & I am still in my PJ's. I guess all that walking yesterday is catching up with my "not in shape" body. Lazy days are ok once in a while. Right?

Art Deco Weekend

We spent a really nice day in South Beach today. There was food galore. Tons of kiosks, cafes & restaurants. BUT..... I was good. Somewhat. We had lunch at the Nexxt Cafe on Lincoln Road. I LOVE their salads, so I had that. I also had a bite of Kats meatloaf but that doesn't count. What does count is the fact that I walked right by all the blooming onions, funnel cakes, elephant ears & even gelato. Not one bite of any of that yummy stuff. Plus we walked. ALOT. Should have worn my pedometer. I'm sure we did at least 5 miles. Plus an additional mile or so on the sand, which my calves can vouch for.


There were a bunch of awesome vintage cars on display and this is the one that Danny agreed to buy for me.

Yeah Right! Blue is not my color though, so we might have to work on that. Kat is not too thrilled with this photo. Her smile is getting better but her left eye still stays open. But to me, she still looks cute. Kari didn't go with us because she went to a birthday party. So it was just the 3 of us today.

The weather was ok. Not as sunny as years past but not bad. Very windy. With rip currents. So the ocean was off limits. Not that I would have been caught dead in a bathing suit but just commenting.

Are your hands clean???

I can never pass up their semi-annual sales. Even though I think they have it every 3 months or so. I still stock up each and every time. Today I bought 7 Hand Soaps! Plus 5 Hand Sanitizers. Imagine if I had OCD. Aside from my hand washing , there is also my hoarding of stuff. Not just hand soap. Oh no. I hoard scrapbook supplies, shower gels, candles, lotions and I'm sure that I'm forgetting some other things. I can practically open my own mini mart. I actually use everything I horde except for my scrapbook supplies. :(

I know I have said this before, but I am so hatin my camera. I want my Panasonic Lumix back. I'm hoping to go this weekend to have a look at the newer ones. I can't go to Hawaii and take crappy pictures.

I think that I will copy Kim now and ask all lurkers to step foward and say hi. I would also like to know who visits my little corner of the web.

Well I thought it was neat!

Here ya go Melissa, a part of my desk. Sorry about the crappy picture. I hate this camera. Cluttered? Slightly. Do I use this desk enough to be so cluttered? No. I haven't scrapped or done anything craft related in a while. This pseudo-travel agent job has kept me quite busy. Still trying to figure out our trip and it's not even till October. Plus I need a new camera before then!!

Almost done with my 1st week of dieting. It's going ok I guess. Haven't weighed myself yet, will do that on Sunday. I have yet to take the WW plunge yet. Maybe if I had someone to go with. Any volunteers???

I'm such a Rebel!

Danny & I were in the waiting room at the dealership while my car got an oil change. I was reading a magazine, just wish I could remember which magazine, and this article caught my attention. It states that they are trying to pass a law to make skipping commercials illegal! I almost peed my pants! Supposedly they are blaming DVRs but heck I've been fast fowarding through commercials since my first VCR! So I have a long history!

Anyhoo, as most of you know, my Kat is a Senior this year. She has been dealing with this Bell's Palsy for a month now, and thankfully is slowly improving. Today, she finds out that she has been nominated for Senior Superlatives. For "Best Smile". She is not a very happy camper. Although she is improving, it is still not 100%. If they could use an old picure she would be ok with it. But since they have to take a picture of her with the guy in the same category, she does not want to even consider it. What can I say. Fortunately, she is not torn up about it.

I abdicate my title....

After many years of being hailed by family, friends & even Danny as the Queen of Target, I found out this weekend that I don't even come close. Yes, I scored some awesome deals on Sunday. Yes, it was stuff that no one else had any idea was 90% off . But, I have seen the real "Queen". Although, if what I witnessed constitutes getting the best deals, then I rather not. This woman had 3, yes THREE shopping carts bungee tied together. She was also dragging along 3 kids uder the age of 5. I could hear her yelling at the kids clear across the store. She somehow managed to fill up all 3 carts by pushing her way and literally screaming & demanding stuff from the employees. I like a fab deal as much as the next gal, but I will not be rude to get it. The employee was surrounded by people grabbing stuff from her stock cart, so she just decided to hand the stuff out. She asked me what I wanted. I really only wanted the dishware at that tiime. She asked if I wanted all 3 boxes and I chose to only keep one and let others have a shot. When she asked this woman how many she wanted, she answered "All of them".

I left and went to where the Smith & Hawken outdoor stuff is and that is where I was able to find a bunch of ccol stuff at 90%. At check out, that woman was at the register next to me. All the employees were rolling their eyes at her. Yes, she did score about $3000 worth of stuff for $300 but she was rude, loud & obnoxious to everyone around her. Plus she did it in front of her kids. My kids have never & will never witness that kind of behavior from me, because it will never happen. So like I said, if that is what it takes to be Queen, I rather be a peon and keep my integrity!

BREATHE

A question was posteded on the CK message board about the word that you would choose for the new year. It was posted based on Ali Edwards blog and her recent post is about her "word" for the year. http://aliedwards.typepad.com/

I am posting my response and elaborating a bit about it on my blog. Mainly, so I wont forget.


I choose "BREATHE".

I can apply it to most situations that I may encounter this year.

BREATHE, and jump into new adventures & experiences.
BREATHE, and let my child go out into the world as an adult.
BREATHE, and don't let the little things get to me.
BREATHE, and not stress about things that I have absolutely no control over.
BREATHE, and just live because every day is precious and I never know if it will be my last.

So, that's my word for 2007.

90% = LOVE

I over-slept today, so I didn't get to Target till 10AM. Most of the good stuff was gone but I did manage to get a cartfull of junk. I got tons of giftbags, ribbons, decorations, lights,socks, dishes, food stuff & tons of other stuff. $400 retail for $40. Yahoo!!! This is not a spectator sport. It's all about the hunt. Couldn't leave my cart alone because people would start picking through it.

We hope to finally be able to take down the Christmas stuff & get the house bac to normal. I LOVE the house when it's decorated for the holidays. But it will look kind of odd if I keep it up year round!

I have 2 1/2 days of food freedom before the dieting starts on Monday. So that means that I have to get rid of all the junk food in this house by Sunday night. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it.

Kari left to Orlando for the FEA conference. That means that I won't sleep well until she gets back safe.

I Like Dreaming

This is my all time favorite songs. I used to slow dance to this song at our 6th grade dances. My hands on his shoulders, his hands on my waist and about a 2ft space in between! It's funny how songs can instantly take you back to a specific moment in time.

I Like Dreaming by Kenny Nolan

Resolutions?

I hate to say that I am making resolutions since I always break them before February. So, my resolution is not to break my resolutions!

I NEED to lose weight. Ideally before the summer. Absolutely before our trip to Hawaii. My #1 resolution is to eat right & exercise. I will try to go to WW meetings although I am not very good at that type of thing. I will continue to exercise at least 5 times a week. And I must definitely cut down on Diet Coke. The can that is right next to me is saying "Yeah right".

Here is an excerpt from Reader's Digest:

Our ancestors ate to survive. They ate because they were hungry or to celebrate a victory over a warring tribe. Us? We eat because we are hungry, too, of course- but also when we are stressed, angry, bored, depressed, frustrated, busy, not busy enough, getting together with friends, or ticked off that the Dolphins (changed to fit) lost.

So true. So whether they like it or not, starting next Monday the entire family will eat what I make or they will starve or cook for themselves. If you go back, I'm sure I've said this before. But this time I mean it!

Breathe..........

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Last night we got in our car and drove less than 5 mins. to our family NYE party. I use the "party" but it was more like a get together. We had dinner, had dessert, watched the ball drop, swallowed some gawd awful champagne, kisses all around, then another 5 minute drive back home. Nice quiet evening with the people that mean the most to us and not the obnoxious drunks that were at the other party that we were invited to.

This morning I woke up @ 10 AM. Brushed my teeth, my hair and ot dressed. I was at Target by 10:15 for the 75% off Christmas stuff. All the good stuff was gone. I picked up some lights & gift bags but not much else left.

I was back home by noon and have been vegging ever since. Game Show Network rocks!
The girls are still in their pj's and Danny is at work so it's a quiet day for us all. Except Danny that is. He's dealing with the drop dead drunks from last night.

One more week and everything goes bac to normal. I have to start putting away all our decorations but my body does not feel like doing it today. Maybe tomorrow.