Bid Time Return

I was lying in bed with my MP3 player plugged into my ears, just watching the clock tick by when the theme from Somewhere in Time came on.   It is otherwise known as " Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Rachmaninoff.   No, I did not immediately know that.  I looked it up long ago when I first was mesmerized by that 1980's movie staring Jame Seymour and Christopher Reeve.

A struggling,  young writer is mystified when an old woman comes to his first play, places an antique pocket watch in his hand and says "Come back to me." Intrigued, Richard Collier investigates and learns that she was a famous stage actress from the early 1900's named Elise McKinna. Through self-hypnosis Richard travels back in time to find this woman and falls in love. 

 It was filmed on Michigan's Mackinac Island, accessible only by passenger ferry, which means, there are no car allowed.  For the filming of this movie Richard drives up in a car, which was the only time an automobile was allowed on the island.   Being from Michigan, I have walked these grounds many times.  I have walked the porch of this fabulous hotel.  Inside the lobby is a plain white door to a small room that still holds the photo of Elise McKinna.  Well, maybe.   Terry and I were last inside,  shortly after we were married in 1981, right after the movie came out.   It was there then.  Now the porch is off limits unless you are registered at the hotel, so maybe it's not there anymore.  I'm pretty sure it is though.    (That far different than when Terry was a teen and he and his friends would ride the ferry over and then go swimming in the hotel pool.  Something tells me they weren't supposed to be there then either.)

This haunting photo of Elise McKinna can be found in high end gift shops, all framed and ready to be loved.

                           The hotel has hosted a Somewhere in Time Weekend since 1991.

Somewhere in Time Weekend  at The Grand Hotel- from the hotel website........

Arrive: Friday, October 26, 2012
Depart: Sunday, October 28, 2012

Somewhere In Time was filmed at Grand Hotel and on Mackinac Island in 1979 and released in 1980. This special weekend includes a screening of the film, discussions of the movie’s production process, visit with cast and crew that are invited back, and hotel guests are invited to make a cameo appearance in costume at the cocktail receptions, costume promenade, and Grand Luncheon Buffet. A full breakfast and five-course dinner are included daily.

Package Includes:

• Accommodations (package room only)
• Breakfast and dinner daily
• Thursday evening Welcome Reception
• Friday evening reception
• Saturday Grand Luncheon Buffet
• Saturday evening reception
• Special showing of Somewhere in Time Thursday and Friday evenings
• Free golf green fees (cart fee required, subject to course availability)
• Special discount on ferry boat tickets
• No tipping within Grand Hotel

Package Price:

• $985 per couple
• $885 single
• $299 third and fourth adult

Thought I would give you the information to drool over like I do.  This has to be a stunning event with guests all in their period costumes.

The book on which this movie was based is called "Bid Time Return" by Richard Matheson.  You may know him from writing science fiction such as the Will Smith movie,  I Am Legend, which is as far from romance as you can get.  He was inspired to write the book after a visit to the Virginia City Opera house where he saw a photo of  Maud Adams.   She was real.  (1872-1953)

In the book, he uses the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego (which is fabulous)  as the location.  Otherwise, it follows it exactly.


This is my movie choice and as Paul Harvey would say, "and now you have  ....the rest of  the story."

Thank You Stevie

I thought I would go into the weekend sharing this beautiful Fleetwood Mac song .  Landslide was written by Stevie Nicks for the 1975 album Fleetwood Mac.  37 years ago.  Do you believe it?  I've always been a fan of their music, but I didn't really connect with the words of this song until more recently.

                                                                         Landslide

                                                                                by

                                                                        Stevie Nicks


Took this love and I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
Till the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
And can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
Oh oh I don't know, oh I don't know

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older I'm getting older too
Yes I'm getting older too, so

I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I, I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too oh yes
I'm getting older too

So, take this love, take it down
Oh if you climb a mountain and you turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring you down, down
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills

Well maybe the landslide will bring you down
Well well, the landslide will bring you down
                               

 I don't know where that young woman found the insight to ask herself the questions she asked.  Can the child within her survive and can she handle the seasons of her life.   I know I didn't look forward in my life like that.   That's how an artist thinks.   When I came to a crossroad in my life, it was never so poetic.  I think there were tears and whining involved.

Looking back,  as I've gotten older, I see there have been many peaks and valleys, ( I like flatland, no peaks and valleys please) but I have managed to avoid that darn landslide.  Maybe it's that time has made me bolder too.

I Have No Words

Sometimes there are no additional words needed.  This was on my local news.  Unbelievable.

It's one of those things that maybe sounded like a good plan after a night of drinking.  I'm still speechless.

Peyton Place

The book by Grace Metalious first appeared in 1956.  It is tells the tale of the dark side, below the surface, life of a small New England town.  The movie starring Lana Turner came out the next year. I was 6.  I didn't read the book until I was in high school, sneaking it into study hall.

Peyton Place, the TV show, was on from 1964-1969 and starred Dorothy Malone, Ryan O' Neal and Mia Farrow .  It was television's first night time soap and I was hooked.  1964 was also the year I was a Freshman in high school.   This was a "have to watch" program for my girl friends and I.  I was lucky that my mother liked it too.  It was considered pretty daring at the time.


Of course, my favorite character was not the virginal Allison McKenzie (Mia Farrow).  Oh, no.   I was in awe of Betty Anderson's (Barbara Parkins) "bad girl" persona.  She was much more daring than I was so I could only imagine doing the things she did.  Actually, I couldn't imagine them.  There were certain things, many things really, that "nice girls" didn't do because you didn't want to "ruin your reputation", so said my southern mother.  Seriously.   I mean, we were taking Home Ec classes and learning how to sew aprons.  

I thought Ryan O'Neal was dreamy but he was he was a "bad boy" because he "did it" with Betty Anderson.  Betty's reputation was really shot.  I probably would not have dated him because of the guilt by association thing.

 I was just starting to date as a Freshman.  Mostly, I dated Senior football players.  I really don't know how that started but, again, I had to follow the unwritten rules for nice girls.  I remember one instance when a couple of my guy friends saw me walking up town and stopped the car to talk.  I could see the driver was holding a beer between his legs on the seat. He asked me out on a date and I said no....because of the beer.  Later I said yes, because he wasn't holding a beer at the time.   Why that made sense I do not know.  Probably because it is easy to ignore certain things if the proof is not staring you in the face.  Nice girls did not drink beer or date those that did.....accept we knew they did, we just refused to acknowledge it.

I am certainly not passing judgement on anyone that chose to do things differently.  I fully admit I was raised with guilt.  My mother was an expert at that.  Plus, it was the times.  It was the end of an era before birth control and the whole sexual movement began.  It wasn't long before I was singing "If You Can't be With The One you Love, Love the One You're With" right along with everyone else.  I sang it but I didn't live it. As I tell my daughters,  I was a hippy for the fashion style, not the life style. 



Back to Peyton Place though - On one occasion, there was some reason we girls could not watch Peyton Place, so my mother tape recorded it for us to listen to later.   I took that tape to school, where I was a librarian for 3rd hour... (which mean for one class period I worked in the Library)  and the Head Librarian let us listen to it together.   I was a librarian for my Freshman year and a small part of my Sophomore year.   Small part because I got kicked out of the library for talking to boys......  and not just kicked out for that hour... I was the only librarian that I know of, that ever got kicked out of her job!   I had to go to study hall the rest of the year.  (It was so worth it!)  So, when my girls had "talks too much" written on their report cards, I could really understand that. It's genetic.

 There was Dark Shadows  in the afternoon but Peyton Place had the night and my imagination.

Happy Birthday Daughter Dear

This is Birthday season for my daughters.  There's one more in February and then they will all be done. They get all the adulation and gifts in a few weeks time and then it is a long dry spell for them

January 25th is Daughter #2's Birthday.

Rachel was born when her big sister was 9 years old.  I was thrilled to have another little girl to dress in frills and ribbons.  A another daughter to put her hair in curls and to dress like did my Barbies.

I could dress both the younger girls (Allison is the February Birthday) in their "tourist outfits" (their term for these matchy-matchy things.  I thought they were cute.)  and perm their hair, which now they question my judgement on that bit of fashion as well.  I thought they were cute.  I don't know why they stopped letting me dress them.

But as the years marched by, I learned this daughter was not a frilly kind of girl.

This daughter is a dead serious sports fan that had her own style.  She is our University of Michigan grad and is the one on the other end of Terry's phone on Michigan game days yelling "Go Blue!" among other chioice words, at times.

She's the one that has happened to be available to share concerts,

and cruises.

Now we have to share her with Tacuma (Tuc).  I've said he is a very brave man.  He shares a townhouse with two sisters and he joined us in Washington DC this past May.  We had a wonderful time getting to know him more. Then this past Christmas, Terry and I were guests in their home, for the holidays.   With them in Michigan and us in North Carolina, we don't see each other other, but when we do, there's a lot of "togetherness" in a small period of time.

Rachel is busy working on her Masters program and working full time.

So Happy Birthday Daughter Dear.  I know you will have a marvelsous day!

Movie TIme Again

Every Sunday morning I watch the CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.   I started watching it when Terry and I were first married and would go visit his parents.  They lived about 3 1/2 hours north of us so it was usually a long weekend, we'd spend with them.  Sunday morning at their house was homemade cinnamon rolls, coffee and that program with Charles Kuralt. 

This last Sunday morning had a feature on Glenn Close.  I am a huge fan of hers.  I love Damages that originated of FX and then moved to Direct-TV.  (Why do they do that.?)   Of course, she scared the  &%&#& out of  married men that were having affairs in the 80's with Fatal Attraction.    (Just between you and I, I coveted her hair in that movie. That was 1983 and big hair was just coming in.)

But the movie I always associate with her is  1983's  The Big Chill,  about 7 University of Michigan  friends, gathering for a weekend at a southern antebellum home, for the funeral of one of their group that had committed suicide.   (Do you remember the "friend" never had face time.  Only his hair was shown being combed and that it was Kevin Costner?)

What's not to love for us boomers.  We get to watch other boomers dance and reminisce about  their college days, all to the soundtrack of Motown music.  Well, there was that other issue that developed..... If you're a boomer and have not seen this movie, do.  I think you'll enjoy it.

If you're not a boomer, I think you would like it too, if only for the music.  It's a classic.

                                                                      Enjoy, I know I do.

Do Cruise, You'll Love It

After posting about my great experiences in cruising, I was asked to share some my thoughts and cruise experiences.  I have answered those blog friends but I thought I would share a few photos that show why a picture is worth a thousand words.  I just can't do justice to some things with mere descriptions.  These are a few pictures from various cruises we've taken, over the years.

The first is that water.  That header photo was taken from our balcony out in the Caribbean Ocean, not close to land.  Can you believe how blue that is?

My favorite color though is this Caribbean blue.  The color of the water around the islands.  That water speaks to me.

On a 7 day cruise, in the dining room, the waiters will perform twice.  They usually have choreographed dances.  It is a joy to see 50 or so waiters singing and dancing. I realize, to them, it is part of the job, but to us, it is great fun.

Here's Terry out on our balcony reading.  I really don't go out there much.  It is fun to get up in the morning and walk out to get a look at where you are, but, it is hot and humid in the Caribbean and whimp that I am, I don't want to sit out there. 

Notice that balcony railing.   There is no way a person and just "fall overboard".   So, if a person goes over, there is either foul play or stupidity involved. 

Every night after dinner, when you go back to your cabin, you will find your bed turned down and one of these cute little towel critters on your bed.  I believe it is a cruise requirement to take pictures of them.

This was an Inside cabin.  No window.  We have our towel critter and the programs laid out telling us the itinerary for the next day.  Information about the port and about the events on board the ship.  The bed is not turned down so this must have been when we entered the first day.

This was a church group that were all traveling together.  This was taken on Royal Caribbean's  private Island in the Bahamas, Coco Cay.   They were renewing their wedding vows.  Terry and I gabbed a lounge early so we could watch.  I thought they looked marvelous and what a great idea.

I couldn't post all these photos without sharing this one from our stop in Key West, Florida. 

You don't see a sight like this everyday.

What a Woman!

I just heard that Etta James passed away today at age 73.  There is not a one of us that does not know the song plunged her into the stratosphere.  I know of 2 weddings, in my family, that "At Last" was played for the Bride and Groom's dance.

About 5 years ago, Daughter #2  and I  were so lucky to get last minute tickets to see her in concert.   She had aged considerably.  She was extremely frail.  Her health was declining even then, but that lady was a frisky as could be.  One of her sons was playing in the band behind her and she was making sexy jokes.


I didn't really think that was appropriate but, that's just me.  There was a little girl, about 10 years old, all dressed in her finery, sitting in front of us.  I'm sure her parents were blues fans and wanted to show her a legend at work.  This was a small auditorium with red velvet seats, not a bar.  

This version of her iconic song is not my favorite, but it's how she chose to sing it after decades on owning that sound.

I was pretty surprised to see that she had released another album just this past fall.  I didn't think she was strong enough and I had read that she was suffering from dementia.  But, she did it.  I do wonder how much electronic "magic" was used to make it work.

I have a couple of other favorites from  her. 

      

I'D Rather Go Blind

All I Could Do Was Cry

You can just hear the tears in her voice.  No one could sing the blues like Miss Etta James.

She will be missed.

In the News

I've gathered a few thought I've had during the news this last week.

1.  Downton Abby won a Golden Glob for Best Mini Series.   I adore that program.  I did read an article that called it "Costume crack" and I have to agree.  I am a romantic at heart so I look at those dresses won in the early 19 teens.  1914, etc (think Titanic) with the long dresses and the pearls and the hats.  Love it.  I am thoroughly enjoying the 2nd season.

2.  I also read that Leonardo Dicaprio is making or has made the remake of The Great Gatsby.     I'm sorry Leo.  You are a brilliant actor, but you are no Robert Redford.

I had to track down these photos on Google.  I'll let you decide.

                                              Robert Redford as Jay and Mia Farrow as Daisy.

            Leo as Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy.  Release date in December 25, 2012.

 Will I see it. You bet.  It is one of my all time favorite books.  I am enthralled with the big mansions on the Gold Coast of Long Island.  Only recently was the home that "possibly" inspired this book by F. Scott Fitzgerald, torn down to make room for another home.  I know this one would cost more to rehab than to build a new one, but it is still a sad thing..... to me.

3.  Moving on...... Hostess Twinkies filed for bankruptcy because they owed $860 million dollars.  Really?  It took reaching that amount to decide a Twinkie was not going to pull you out of the mire.  $500 million didn't tell you that?  How do you get that far into debt at $3.99 a box.  ( I really have no idea how much they cost.)  I can honestly say I have never eaten a Twinkie.  Looks like a lot a people are not eating them if they are in debt this much.

4.  Did anyone else see on the news of the mother that parked her drug selling, lying 14 year old son out on the street corner, wearing a sign that said as much.   Down at the bottom it also stated " I don't follow the law."  He looked pretty sullen.  She was out there with him, making sure he stayed on that corner.  She said he had been caught numerous times selling drugs and lying about it.  The courts gave him a small "community service" that she did not believe was strict enough so her words were " "He wants attention.  We're getting him some attention."

 Of course someone drove by and reported her to the Police for abuse.  Give me a break.  She was saving his life, "in my opinion".   The police did decide she was not endangering him and was breaking no law so he was still standing with the sign hanging around his neck. Can we have a "oo rah" for that Mom please?  I'm sure she had other things she would rather be doing too, but she decided nothing was as important as saving her son.  Good for her!

These things tweaked my interest this week.  What tweaked yours?

My Opinion As A Cruiser About the Costa Concordia Disaster

Terry and I discovered "cruising" 10 years ago.  At that time we decided to go on a cruise to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.  Daughter #1 married.   Both of our other daughters were still home.  One was a freshman in college and one of a high school Junior, so we took them with us.  In that following ten years, I think we have gone on 6 cruises.  

Over the weekend one of the Italy's Costa ships fell victim to a rebel Captain.  That's about the only way I can sum it up.  People lost their lives and all the rest suffered great stress and trauma that was avoidable and caused by plain ole stupidity.  The course on these ships is set for a reason. 

I cannot imagine what these people went through.   First of all, it happened at night.  Then the lights went out.  From reports I've heard, passengers had not had their "ship safety talk" (is what we call it) and were first told to return to their cabins.  Yes this ship's parent company is Carnival.  I have sailed on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. All of these ships had that procedure done as soon as the ship sat sail.  I've heard this ship had just began it's voyage and had only been under way for 3 hours.  That's still early in the legal 24 hour window to do that evacuation talk and I don't know if this is their common practice.  Also, passengers verify the Captain did not call to abandon ship until 45 after he knew there was  trouble.

I do know I always take flashlights with us. I have taken them when we travel because I do not like getting up to go to the bathroom in the pitch black. For us, too, I read later than Terry does and he wakes up before I do, so those flashlights come in handy. The first time we cruised we chose an inside stateroom.  They are the least expensive and we had 4 people sailing.  That means no window - no light. It's like sleeping in a closet.  In this case, the electricity was out so everyone was in the dark.  (But if you do sail...take a flashlight. )

Would the lights have helped?  It wouldn't hurt is what I'm thinking. 

I have a hard time calling this atrocity an accident because it was such a risk taking maneuver.  I'm sure it was this captain feeling invincible. We have learned he abandoned his ship before his passengers were off.   There is record of the Coast guard telling him to get back on his ship to help inform them as to what what was happening on board, but, as we know, that didn't happen.

 I do know these Captains are rotated through the fleet. ( From talking with a Carnival Captain)  They are on duty for 6 months. They, then, on leave, and when they return, it is to a different ship.   I do not know how wide spread that rotation goes.  Is it just through their line or is it through the whole Carnival fleet?  I would swear that guy looks familiar but Terry and Daughter #2 reminded me that most of the Captains have been Italian.  Put a tall, dark and handsome man in a captain's uniform and sorry, but I was not checking for a perp line up.

Please do not let the vanity and arrogance of this captain stop you from going on a cruise.  The ships are safe.   It is a very economical way to vacation.  You get to go to exciting places and your room comes with you.  You're gourmet meals or the buffet, if that's what you choose,  are included.  You can be sure no captain is going to even think about varying his course now!

Happy Cruising.   (And they didn't even pay me to say that!!)

Middle of Winter Blahs

This photo was taken many years ago, looking out our back window at that stupid cat.  Smokey is long gone and so is that house, but the picture of her is still funny to me.  She must have thought she was invisible.  It looks like that bird feeder is empty too, so she would had a long wait for any action.

Smokey came to us by way of Preschool.  I went to pick my youngest daughter at preschool one day ( I did say it was a pictures of years ago.) and she came walking up to meet me holding a little ball of white and gray fur, saying " Tommy's Mom said I could keep her. Can I?"   That mother had brought in a box of kittens for Show and Tell and proceeded to give them away.  I am not an animal person. I was raised with cats and dogs so I know they are work.  I already had work.  I had children. And a job. But, since this was the daughter that had caught a moth in her little hand and then named it, I gave in and we brought Smokey home with us.

Some years later, we were transferred to South Carolina so Smokey made the trip with us girls in the minivan while Terry drove the other car.  We were loaded with and kids and boxes and houseplants.  There was no putting Smokey in a carrier for all those hours driving from Michigan, so we tried a collar and a leash.  You just know that did not work.  We tried to "cat walk" her at rest areas with no luck whats so ever.  What a nightmare.  She spent the entire trip in the back area of the van with the houseplants.  Yep, you guessed it.  We found where she had pooped in a cactus plant.   That would have been on Youtube if it were to happen today. 

My daughter that lives on the western side of Michigan texted me that they were supposed to get 8-12 inches of snow tonight  (Thursday) so the boys were hoping for a snow day.  Those are rare in their school district.  

I may not have to worry about that anymore, living in the land of magnolias now, but I do remember that bitter cold.  I think I'll be content to just look at the old pictures, like this one.

Random Thoughts

I just finished a book I thought I would share.  Being an avid reader, I go through tons of books, a lot of which are just "ok".  This one really got my attention from page one and had me reading when I should have been doing other things.

How would you feel, if every morning when you woke up, you didn't know where you were, or who that man was in the bed beside you?  When you dared to sneak out of that bed to go into the bathroom and look in the mirror only to see you have aged decades from your last memory.  How would you feel if you spent the day learning this man was your husband, Ben, and that every morning for years, he has told you these same facts of your lost life,  over and over again, because every night when you go to sleep, you forget? Then one morning you find you have written inside the cover of your journal, "Don't trust Ben".

2.  Did any of you have these Junior Classic books in your home when you were growing up?  They were either bought with or came with Collier's Encyclopedias. 

This is the main look of them.  I found this with some Google hunting.  They were numbered 1 - 10.  My number 10 was an orange book of poetry.  The red one was Fairy Tales.  Those two must have been my favorites because I do remember the numbers and colors of those two.  The others were of History, Adventure, and after that I go blank.  I do know I used them a lot for school projects.  My set was stored in a finished basement that flooded back in the 80's so I had to toss them.  I do know my great plans of saving them for my children to use didn't go that way.  They weren't that interested.  I think it just shows how much more was available to them than was for us.

3.  The other day of thought of a couple of jobs that have long disappeared and were ones that touched my life as a teen.  The first is the gas station attendant.  Remember that guy?  The one that came out and pumped the gas for you and cleaned your window at the same time.  It was great fun being a teenage girl, going to get gas at a station that employed that certain guy you thought was pretty cute.  I'm sure I got $2 worth of gas often.  I would think that it would have been a pretty good job for the guys too.  They got to see all those teenage girls that were driving in.

The other job was a telephone operator. Growing up in a suburb of Flint, Michigan, we teens would drive around other "burbs" on Sundays, "cruising"... just hoping we would meet someone far more interesting than the girls or guys  from home.   I had a girlfriend that had met a cute guy in one of those towns on  a Sunday cruise.  She later went home and dialed "0" for the operator and asked for the phone number and address of his last name in the small town she had been cruising.  That was in the mid 1960s when they would give you that information.  The voice of the Operator asked "Dianne, are you chasing boys again?"   She was shocked when she heard that familiar voice.  It was her telephone operator sister who was at work in Flint.  What are the chances of that? 

4.  I got a new MP3 player for Christmas.  I've been going through music to put on it.  I sometimes listen to it at night when I'm in bed and can't sleep so all the music I've been choosing has been slow songs and old songs, mostly.  I used it once on a plane.  I'm not a good flyer so I found it helped my flying jitters.  I've had a great time listening to old music in my hunt though, so that is worth it right there.

Do any of you have a random thought to share? 

Dancing Together for 30 Years - January 9th

Happy Anniversary to us.  It really does not seem possible that when this 30 year old mother of a 7 year old daughter.........

asked this 25 year old marathon runner (and co-worker)

 to come visit her at the cabin on Lake Huron, where they ( Sarah and I)  were spending vacation time with her parents, that it would lead to this.

Which.... lead to this

                                                              and this just 6 months later.

On this day 30 years ago, in Michigan,  the temperature was a chill factor of -50 degrees.  So where did we go for our honeymoon?  Toronto!  burrrrrrr.  Our car wouldn't start so I had to call my sister and her husband along with their young daughter,, to pick us up at the hotel, in their Honda, to take us to the train station in Sarnia.   I think that was the beginning of the "Farkle Family" trips.  We have always called all the goof ups on vacations "Farkle Family" events.  Now I know why.

Soon we became a family of five.

                    This song was popular when this romance began so it immediately became one of ours.

I still hope we're dancing for another 30 years.

Happy Birthday Daughter # 1

Happy January 8th  Birthday Girl

This daughter is having a 30 something birthday.  I've told her she still has a few good years left and that I actually liked my 40s.  (No, she's not there yet.)  

I was divorced when she was 2 and remarried the day after she turned 8.  She was in my wedding, (which I will share)

    And I was at her wedding as well.   Now she has 2 little boys that are quickly becoming big boys.
 

I looked for a more current one but this girl hides from the camera as much as I do .   I may have aged but she hasn't.  I wish she would share that secret with her mother.    Have a beautiful day with your family.  I love you.

The Bling Mirror

Before Christmas I was making a project for daughter #3 for Christmas.  She had e mailed me photos of her hot pink accent wall and the dresser she had painted to match, back in the fall.

The dresser really does match the wall.

So I got busy giving an old mirror, a flea market table, and some garage sale picture frames a new life.

I sprayed painted it with high gloss black enamel paint and then raided my jewelry box of pearls, broaches, earrings and as much bling as I could find.  When that wasn't enough, I hunted garage sales, the flea market and craft stores to add more.

It surprised me how all that jewelry disappeared onto that frame.  I used a tiling cement ( the same as I used to put up ceramic tiles in my bathroom) and sprayed it black while it was still wet.  that way I could sink the jewelry down into it to hold tight.   After that I was a hot glue gun fanatic with the craft store bling. Those are not as heavy as real jewelry and that worked fine.

Of course, I turned it upright but Blogger insists on not recognizing that.  It's difficult to get a photo of a mirror and not be in it as well.

Allie took some photos for Facebook so I stole a couple.

Looks like the mirror needs a little Windex under the jewels.  Oops. 

Then I went to work on the other pieces.

More black spray enamel and a few more jewels and she was set.

 The mirror, I've had forever.  The table was $3.00 flea market find.  The frames were 25 to 50 cents each.  It was the hunt for jewelry that added up.  (Kinda like the free goldfish my grandson brought home from the science fair that required a new fish tank and filter system....)

Now I'm waiting for pictures of it all put together in her room.

I'm Back

We are back home again and our hearts are full of good memories of hugs, laughter, quiet conversations and rip roaring belly laughs.   The visit with our daughters and grandsons in Michigan seemed to go by at lightening speed.

I took a craft project to the boys to work on with me.  I told them the good thing about art is there is  there is no "wrong" way to do it.  It's all good.  These are cheap wooden frames from Micheal's that they decorated to put in pictures of their latest trip to Cancun and their sports photos from the things they do.  I just enjoyed watching them create their own style.

Terry and Brett in their Michigan attire.  # 16 is the quarterback Denard Robinson's number. I don't know which guy was the happiest that Daughter #1 got that jersey for Brett.   (And, let me say, Michigan won their bowl game.  It was not a pretty win but it was a win.)

My other daughters got Tanner the Michael Jackson Wii game that teaches Michael's dance moves and really rocks yours body.  Tanner could really get into it but the adults doing it was priceless.

All I can say now is "Thank God for Kids".  For being able to spend time with my own adult daughters and for the being able to share Christmas with my boys.  (I have always called them "My" boys.  My daughter was so kind  to give birth to them for me!  And, Tanner on my Birthday too.. Nice of her, right?)  This was Brett's first year in knowing Mom and Dad are Santa.  Tanner is wondering but still wants to believe.  They are 9 and 10 right now.  This was a very special Christmas.

So I came back refreshed and with some new ideas to blog about.  Boy, do I have some catching up to do on what all of you have been doing while I was gone.  So now I'll go visit "all y"all" as we say down here.