So Why Did I Cry Over Mamma Mia? Well...

Meryl Streep~Always the Best!

If there was ever a chick flick...it has to be this one. I wrote this post a few years ago and it still sounds fun to me. Who's coming to Greece with me? The movie is a little naughty, a little nice, a whole lot funny, some very romantic and poignant, tender moments. The story is quite nonsensical and yet touched my heart on a bunch of levels.

And ladies, Mr. Darcy prancing around in tights and singing a song. Hmmm! Oh my word that was a funny thing for him to do at the end as they were rolling the credits. Do you think a single person watched those words roll by? Nope, not a chance! Well, maybe if it was their name..that is it.

I have had a few people ask this question so thought I'd try to reveal exactly why that movie made me cry. Hmmm, well, here are some of my random thoughts about it....

I loved that it was a movie about people over 49 that depicted them as vibrant, fun-loving human beings that have loving hearts. They are still, amazingly enough, full of passion and desire, and a need for a relationship in spite of the losses they have experienced in life. I loved that Meryl Streep's character was still filled with love and hope after being without the person she loved for 20 years. I thought it said a lot about the nature of the human heart's ability to go on dreaming dreams even when things have not always gone your way.

I love the Dancing Queens scenes where women of all shapes, sizes and degrees of physical beauty as the culture defines it, were celebrated. They were all beautiful, young and old just because they were women! There were no stereotypes of what beauty is, they were just beautiful because they were themselves. So tears.

Dancing Queens

I love the carefree manner in which they were rejoicing in and remembering some of the feelings they had had when they were 17 and dancing queens. I could actually remember feeling that way at 17 and some of my tears were about just letting that carefree spirit I felt then~ slip away. It just reminded me that we have forgotten how to play and I missed that feeling in my life. Nostalgia ~ So more tears.

There's Nothing Like the Reunion of Old Friends

Do not mess with this!

I loved the song and scenes of "Slipping Through My Fingers" because it was so like I feel about our beautiful daughters and (of course our son) and the fact that sometimes I mourn the loss of their childhood and miss them so much. You try to keep a light heart about them growing up and going away but sometimes it just doesn't seem possible that that part of your life has slipped through your fingers and is over and that things will never be the same again. So tears...lots of them (maybe even gulping sobs where you are glad the surround sound of the theatre is very, very loud).

Mother Daughter Moments~

Ouch, I do so miss that!

The Winner Takes it All...Everyone probably relates to this song on some level. I loved the dramatic way in which it was used in the story and the amazing performance of Meryl Streep. Don't you relate to that line..."I don't want to talk~ because it makes me feel bad?" Sometimes you just feel that way about things that have happened in your life. Again tears. You have climbed the mountain but sometimes you just feel tired, weary and worn out. I loved the visuals of her escaping the pain and running up the mountain with the red scarf. To me it symbolized that in spite of her trials and discouragements she could still move forward with an unexplained passion for living and loving.

And lastly, I loved Meryl Streep and the way she has magnified her talents and given so much to women in general, just by being herself and working hard to perfect her craft with style, grace and a lot of spunk. I love that throughout her career she her carefully chosen her roles so she didn't get type cast as a one dimensional woman.

So, I ask you~ who wants to go to Greece with me, put on an old house dress and a scarf, an apron and some clunky shoes, and ditch the bras and the make-up? Then we will skip down to the peer singing and dancing like queens, cannonball into the water and laugh our heads off!

Cannon Ball from here!

Girl gets guy of her dreams...here!

Hope and Light

A little piece of light in the
American Spiritual Recession!

Buy Don't Rent~Curtain Call

For those of you enjoyed a recent post entitled, Buy Don't Rent, I thought you might be interested in seeing the flier that landed on the doorstep of Ross' neighbors in Rhode Island this past week. The notice was delivered as is, except I did remove his contact info which gave his phone number and an invitation to stop over if they'd like to work out a deal in person. The fliers were printed on 9 1/2 x 11 card stock.

I seriously wonder who entertained us before Ross came along? We do love this little guy to the hilt!! He has such a creative and enterprising mind. Sure hope someone in the neighborhood gives it a whirl!

Ross Boss Apple Sauce!

2nd post for today!

A Garden Tour

Today Maureen and I went on this amazing Garden Tour. There were five gardens to view and it was a perfect day. After the tour we met her sister, Linda and had a nice lunch out to celebrate Linda's birthday. Fun friend times!

Here is a slide show of the beautiful gardens and various elements of each. I hope you enjoy it. You can make the photos go faster by clicking on fast forward arrows on the bottom right of the screen.. Happy Weekend!

Make your own digital slideshow

Accessorizing with Scarves

While in Italy I picked up quite a few scarves. Scarves are huge in Europe and you rarely see anyone (male or female) without one in the colder weather. It is amazing how warm they are. Laura says that she enjoys watching the younger men in Italy...she think they dress like peacocks as they strut their stuff. I do remember some men in some very colorful (as in hot pink patterned scarves) in tailored, black suits ~ but that is another whole blog post. Today I am thinking about us girlies. A scarf is a fun, inexpensive accessory that can tie an outfit together and is easy to use.

I am no fashionista but....here is my theory on accessorizing your wardrobe. Dressing is a lot like decorating your home. If you have something you like, accentuate it, if you have something you don't like, camouflage it. It is pretty hard to camouflage some things but if you distract the eye of the behold slightly, it helps. An example of this would be...add a scarf if you are a little self-conscious of your neck that is now starting to look a little saggy or wrinkly.

The converse is also true. If you want to detract from that area, don't wear a pair of chandelier earrings or a short (even if it's fabulous) necklace. Distracting and detracting is cheaper than a face lift and looks better too in most cases. Even if you are a 'go with the flow' type person, in the aging department and love the defining character of wrinkles, you can still enjoy a beautiful scarf.

The Brighton Collection accessories

I like accessories also because they can add a new look to classic clothing. You will see an example of this in the video below. Rather than buying a whole new outfit, add a cool bracelet, ring, or pair of earrings or a scarf. Or a great watch is nice or fancy belt if you can wear them. Personally, I never wear a belt as I only want to accentuate the positive! (Ahem)


I like to add whimsy sometimes because I think what you wear should be fun. This may be obvious by the bag I bought recently. It helps me remember that we should not take ourselves so seriously all the time. Fun accessories can lighten your load and be a little pick me up when worn appropriately. I'd never take that bag to the temple or a job interview but it is great for a lunch out, shopping or a movie. And you know me, I love a little sparkle around me. Why not? It is like lighting the candles at dinner time. It just adds a little something that says.."today I might just be doing the mundane, but I still want to dress it up a little." I am a denim and diamonds type of a gal.


Sadly, I think we need to remember that although clothing and accessories can enhance our appearance they cannot make us look like a different person, 50 pounds thinner or beautiful if we forget to wear a smile. We need to be who we are and as the sign my hair dresser use to have in her salon said.."I am a beautician not a magician!" So says an accessory.

The other thing I like about accessories is that as we age...it is good to fight the frump as much as we can. Why is it that older men become distinguished, debonair, more handsome and interesting and older women fade into the woodwork? Part of it is I think we can let go of the trying at some point. As men become more confident in their experience and wisdom...women tend to throw in the towel to the younger woman. I know none of you are like that, but you do see it if you just casually look around. To me true beauty comes from within but it doesn't hurt to jazz up the outside a little too. My thinking may be a little delusional at 62, but at least I am having fun and want to keep trying!

So whoa...big digression! So on to the video .....

Here are some ways to wear a scarf that add some pizazz to your look. One of my favorite bloggers, Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam made this vlog on how to tie a scarf. Thought it was great and wanted to share it. Jen is an amazing woman, I have learned so much from her. She is a remarkable homemaker.

Benicia the Beautiful!

Today I had a wonderful play date with my sister, Marilyn. Marilyn is my brother, Gary's, wife and we decided to meet for lunch in Benicia. It is located conveniently about midway between our two towns. Benicia was the original State Capitol of CA and has a lot of fun and historic sites; for a small, sleepy town, that is. It is nestled on a little cove with the prettiest waterfront property you can imagine. I love Benicia because through thick and thin times, it has managed to keep its small town ambiance and charm.

I could not resist going a little early and meandering around the streets a little before lunch. Probably the most well known site in Benicia is it's beautiful gazebo in the little town square park. It was just gorgeous today...this is what my camera lens saw.

Here is their welcome sign

And a close-up of those amazingly beautiful red flowers.

The little streets are so cute and quaint!

This is where we had lunch.

This is traditionally strictly a ladies' establishment. It is so beautifully appointed and all things feminine. We were shocked to see three men in their today (not together but with various women) invading our women's club! (Just kidding but it was weird to see them there eating their little crumpets with their tea. I tried not to notice if they were holding their tea cups with their little pinkies in the air!)

I didn't take any photos inside just in case someone was supposed to be doing laundry and cooking dinner but had slipped out for a touch of elegance and a little afternoon tea with her friends! They have a wonderful menu but I always love to order their traditional tea with the three tiers servers which is just delightful. Little bits of scones with jam and clotted cream, cucumber and other little finger sandwiches, little tarts. Everything is just so sweet~we loved it. They serve all kinds of tea I always get the herbal peppermint, it is very soothing. And the food was very well prepared and is always all homemade right there on the premises.

As we chatted of course the conversation always comes around to blogging (oddly enough) and I was telling her about the series I did on keeping connected with family. She agreed. We are just going to slide each other's families up several notches on the priority scale and decided right then and there to meet each month for a similar type relaxing girl time together.

Sometimes it is just a matter of being aware of something and then calendaring it to make it happen. This seems to be a big problem in our day and time, but we are going to remedy it in our extended family starting now. And we are going to invite Emily (Steve's wife) to join us too.
They are leaving for Europe tomorrow so I know she could not have come today but next month she's in! I love that! No wonder I ♥ blogging, it makes me think past the moment sometimes and improve my life.

You know you are a blogger when...

You take a photo in the restroom.
This cute needlework picture of the Tea Room
was hanging in their darling bathroom.

I enjoyed my few hours in Benicia with Marilyn so much. I saw beauty all around me and it was impressive. Since I was in the 'searching for beautiful photo ops mode', while driving home I saw things in our own town that I normally would have passed by, thinking of something else. Why is it that we need to go somewhere else to see the beauty that is ours to enjoy at every turn?

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder but it also requires a brain that is not multi-tasking all the time. Maybe that is why the 'get away" is best for spying the beauty of the earth sometimes. Whatever it is I love to go on them!

Our town! Both taken at a stop light!

I took this one over my left shoulder
as the traffic was just starting to move.
Yikes good thing I didn't get a ticket!
For a blogger it is the camera not
the cell phone~ a new source of revenue
for the Police...shhh, don't tell.
I promise I will be good from now on!

Striking Out!

Yesterday I wrote on how to put ♥s in your blog post. Marie said she'd really like to know how to do strike outs too. I don't know much about html but I do know how to do strike outs so thought I'd share for all of you. (Sal, check comments on yesterday's post about changing the colors.)

Strike outs are used to clarify, cover-up, emphasize, reveal your true thoughts in clever ways on blogs. I'm just mentioning this because one time I did one and was asked why I did it. Anyway, here are a couple of examples.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is drop dead gorgeous an accomplished actor whom I couldn't take my eyes off of enjoyed very much in the movie, PS I Love You.

Little Johnny was a total brat a bit of a behavioral concern in the grocery store while his mother totally ignored it tried in vain to take care of it.

So this is how you do it. First write your sentence including what you want to strike out and what you want to replace it with. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is drop dead gorgeous an accomplished actor whom I couldn't take my eyes off of enjoyed very much in the movie PS I Love You.

Look at the top right hand corner of the composition or text box for the edit html tab and click on it. Then find your sentence in the mix of words and codes: Place your cursor in front of the first word you want to strike out and add in the following...

To edit Html you put your code inside a left and right carrot < > so in that space you write strike To end your strike out, place the cursor right after the last word you are striking and you write /strike between a left and right carrot < > Then go back and click on the compose tab on the upper right hand side of the text box and check it out.

That is it, it is so simple! And I bet you will not soon forget that:
I think that he is a total hottie Jeffrey Dean Morgan is amazing on the silver screen even though I am old enough to be his mother a tad bit older than he is.

How to Make Hearts in Your Blog Text

My friend Traci recently taught me how to make ♥s in my blog posts and in comments to others. I ♥ them and wanted to show you how to do it. This is the html code for them and you enter it all as one word with no spaces, but so I can show you how ~ you will see spaces between the characters.

& h e a r t s ; You type it like that where you want your heart to go..remembering not to put in the spaces. When you publish your post or comment, up pops a ♥ in place of the code. You can also use it on Facebook. You can change the color of your ♥ or the size of your ♥ ♥s but you cannot bold them. Bold undoes the magic somehow. If you try Italics you just get this ♥.

Anyway, I think the ♥s are very fun and cute and different and simple. If you agree~have at it!

Oh and by the way...I ♥ you! Bon

Party at the Paramount Theatre

Friday night is usually our date night. But this week Jim was sweet and didn't mind that I went with three friends to the Paramount theater. We went to dinner at a cute little place called The Crepevine. Excellent!

We saw an old movie from 1939 called The Women. It is full of vintage Hollywood bombshells and not a single male graced the screen! It was far more interesting than Lawrence of Arabia that had men only. The only thing that kept me awake in that one was the cute guy sitting next to me on my first fancy movie date! But that is a totally different movie story for another time! The newsreel from the mid 60's and the Warren Brothers cartoon were pretty interesting Friday night. It was truly a different world in those days.


Oakland's Paramount Theatre is one of the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States. It was completed in late 1931. After its initial brief blaze of "movie palace" glory in the 1930's, this remarkable auditorium suffered three decades of neglect and decline until its rescue by the Oakland Symphony, the City of Oakland and numerous private donors. A painstaking and authentic restoration was completed in 1973 .

The Paramount Theatre became a California Registered Historic Landmark in 1976, and on May 5, 1977, was declared a National Historic Landmark.

Restored to its original splendor, meticulously maintained, and fully upgraded to modern technical standards, the Paramount now serves all the arts. The Paramount Theatre is the home of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and, as one of the San Francisco Bay Area's premiere performing arts facilities, hosts a year-round schedule of popular music concerts, variety shows, theatre, and - of course - movies.

It is beautiful building but I do wonder what
the designer was "on" when they chose this
carpet and upholstery fabric. Sometimes I think
they pick something outlandish and call it 'designer' just
to be funny and see if people fall for it??
Not buyin' it here!

Can you say...Art Deco? This place is dripping in

ornate pattern and glitz. It is delicious to the eye
albeit a little over the top.
At least they didn't have to worry about
hanging art pieces ~not a single spot
for your eye to rest in the entire place.
"Less is more" is definitely not a theme here!

Before the movie the organ is played and
it is really fun and nostalgic.
They also have some big wheel spins with
free raffle tickets with dinner for 2 from local
dining establishments as prizes.

The Lobby sans the huge crowd that was there.

A great time was had by all. It is so wonderful
to be out with friends doing fun things. We are
so blessed to live in a place that is so
culturally rich at every turn.

Enjoy A Fun Break In a Train Station in Belgium

Two hundred participants. Apparently only 2 rehearsals in a secret place before unleashing all this in the train station.

Eye Candy For Your Home!

Published on my Design Blog Today

flickr

We often hear that every room should have at least one focal point. Exactly what is a focal point you may be asking? A focal point in a room is a place that naturally draws your eye to it. It is the place in the room that creates the most interest and where you can make your talents shine.

Sometimes the focal point is an architectural feature like a beautiful bay window overlooking your garden or a lovely or commanding fireplace. The true nemesis for most decorators and designers is that it is often the TV. Ugh! Some rooms have more than one focal point. The first room below is an example of that.

You have a fireplace, a big window and a TV. In this room the sofa is facing the TV but there are also views of the fireplace from the sofa and other chairs are placed to also enjoy the outside. The more focal points the more fun you can have making it all come alive. 3 is probably the limit though as more than that and your eyes are just confused.

In this room it is the TV area that ranks first, fireplace and then the outside. Form needs to follow function. What that means is what you do in the room is just as important or more so that the aesthetics. The trick is mastering both.

This was one of the most challenging rooms I have ever done. It is a long and narrow room and the fireplace is placed in an odd place. Not centered but at the end of the room. Logistically the TV had to be the focal point because if I used the fireplace all the furniture would have been at the end of the room and very unbalanced. Why do builders do things like that? Arrgh! I remember my frustration and that Laura did about five other rooms while I struggled with this puzzle.

This room is in one of my most favorite houses of all times. Staging this house for sale was amazing. This house was eye candy at every turn and sold the first day on the market. One of the many things that I love about this room is no TV and thoughtful architecture. That made placement of the furnishing so easy and created a very welcoming home.

If you are decorating a room with none of these possibilities then you need to create a focal point. As an example you can choose a beautiful piece of art, a beautiful mirror with a table or buffet beneath it and a pretty floral arrangement. A focal point is eye candy. It should automatically pull the eye there.

Entryway Focal Point

This kitchen area has the most beautiful garden outside the window which is the focal point but you also have to make it look great on the inside. I could have moved right into this house.

Other things that can serve as focal points are what are called "case goods" in the industry. They would include large pieces of furniture like a grand piano, an armoire, buffet, etc. In a bedroom the focal point is almost always the bed.



The thing that cannot be a focal point is an upholstered piece like a sofa or chair. Why? Because they disappear when you sit on them. Makes sense, right? This room's most outstanding feature was the pair of antique overstuffed tiny sofas. This small room had no focal point other than the window looking out to the street. That wasn't too interesting so the room is designed with the two little sofas facing each other with exceptional art above each as the focal points of the room. It is so cozy and comforting.

This was a fun room to decorate. Here the window and armoire are the focal points because the TV is in the armoire. It was fun to come up with something that made this room a little different by placing the drop leaf table behind the sofa.



When arranging your furniture in the room~follow this simple rule for best results. Choose or create a focal point and then address your focal point with your largest piece of upholstered furniture. You can be creative and do your own thing of course, but if you neglect these two things your room will always feel a little off. Have fun creating your own little world at home! It is a great place to be and the stage upon which you live your life! Enjoy it!

Writing this post renewed my excitement all over again in having the profession of my dreams. I am excited to leave my keyboard now and go to work on another beautiful home today! See ya later!

Pumpkin Pie Fantasy

With Thanksgiving just around the corner it is time to start thinking about your Thanksgiving Feast and all the trimmings. Unless you are extremely lucky like us and going to someone else's house! We have been invited to my brother, Gary and Marilyn's house so there will be no cooking for us this year. Usually I cook a turkey even if we go somewhere else, but this year since we are taking off for a few days I am not even doing that.

But if I were cooking maybe I'd bake a pumpkin pie (yeahrite!)
Click the orange link above to see the fantasy of me baking a pie come to life!

Everyone who truly knows me knows that the pies from our house
come to us via Miss Marie or Mr. Sam's Gourmet Kitchens.

flickr photos of course