Meaningless Fluff

September already! And a bit of babbling

2010-09-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Boy did September sneak up on you like it did me? Yikes! Our summer weather has actually kicked in finally. At least for the next couple days. And I'll take it! I love Fall. But this year I'm just not ready for it because our summer has been so cool (mostly high 70's). The leaves are already turning yellow and falling. It just seems too soon. So this hot weather is more than ok with me.

What kind of plans do you have for the holiday weekend? We are pretty much sticking around the house. Lots of honey-do items. Not just for the husband. But for me too. I really am hoping to make September my month to finish all or most unfinished projects. Why? Oh because I have too many new ideas for new projects! So I need to finish some others first.

On the genealogy front... Mom is waiting for the latest Family Tree software. She's most definitely not a fan of the current one and doesn't want to use it. So adding the old photos to this program are on hold until she receives the latest version which is on back order for the next few weeks. So I'm guessing this will turn into a late October/November project. I also need to update my tree on Geni dot com. I wonder if my distant cousin Shannon thinks I have abandoned her? If you are reading this... No truly I haven't.

Izzy seems to be feeling a bit better. The coughing has almost stopped. Thank goodness. We have four more days of medicine to go. Still watching over Ellie too as this kennel cough stuff is very contagious.

I drove over to my little brother, Bill's house last night kind of late (8:30pm) after trying to get all my errands completed first. His wife cuts my hair. I had her cut it a bit shorter than usual. I kind of like the length. It barely touches my shoulders.

Well there wasn't a dance challenge after all as it was homework time for Nick who is the dancer of their family. Not to mention being too close to bed time to challenge him to the "Just Dance" game on their Wii. I did bring the game with me. I showed them. Nick was positive that he wouldn't need practice to beat my high score. Easy-peasy! I said ok.. I will practice some more and see you this weekend for our dance off! I some how get the feeling that my game is going to be borrowed. Not that I mind. I guess I better check out the sports games.

So what are the new projects I'm hoping to work on?

Making slipcovers for the furniture in the living room. I really love my couch and two wing back chairs but I really need a change. So I bought "The Lazy Girl's Guide To Customs Slip Covers" which is an e-book by the Pink and Polka Dot blogger. I found this book after reading the Nesters blog (Nesters dot com) on how easy Pink made it. Here's the book link: https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=676839&cl=114384&ejc=2 I printed it out. It looks like something I think I could make. Starting with the couch of course. But then of course I really really love the knife pleats: http://pinkandpolkadot.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-make-knife-pleats.html .

I would also love to start finally painting my downstairs the butter yellow paint I've had now for close to a year but was too afraid to use it because it didn't work with the colors of the couch. I love the soft happy yellow. But when it came down to it painting it didn't make sense as we didn't win a lottery to replace the furniture with the wrong color scheme. So the slipcover idea seems like a great one.

Then to beautify the butter yellow walls I would love to add this look: http://www.thenester.com/category/budget-living This picture is from the Nesters site. I'm not so sure I can just paint on the wall and add the smaller pieces of wood because our walls are textured. But I love this look.

My next ideas are about Christmas gifts. I have had soldering items for a while. Though never found the courage to go forward. I'm not big on handling hot things.. soldering iron not even a flat iron. So charms or mini Christmas ornaments with old pictures run through my mind. Bet you are wondering how this could be accomplished with my fear of being burned? With the help of my friend Vicki. Vicki is one of the ladies in my Art Group. I'm sure both Vicki and her daughter, Molly could turn straw into gold if given the chance. Everything either of them touches is truly fabulous! Truly! Once Vicki turned a tuna can into a crown! It's amazing! So I kind of hinted at the last meeting... that maybe she could help me with some soldering. Vicki said I could come over anytime. Boy how fabulously generous is that?! I'll probably be taking her up on her offer after Halloween. Also I think I should mention that Molly opened up her own Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/popandsparkle. Super cute baby and toddler clothes that are mostly made out of vintage finds!

I know I'm probably dreaming a bit on my list of projects. But why not?! Enough of my babbling.

Have a wonderful (and safe) holiday weekend!

Hugs!

Bridget

Oui! A new toy.

2010-08-29T18:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Guess what we picked up last night? We picked up a Wii on sale at Target. I've been wanting one for a while. I bought one for my parents for Christmas last year. But decided I could wait. Until now.

When you set this game up you have to name it. I made a suggestion (a girls name) and my husband said No. It has to be a good name for a guy or a girl. Then a lightbulb went on over my head. I said I know! I spelled O-U-I. The husband asked isn't that "yes" in French? I said yes. I said it's pronounced "Wii". I said "Clever, don't you think?!". he.he.he. So the Wii has been named to Oui.

I love to dance. Always have. My Grandpa even use to turn his football off for me to dance at 2-1/2 years old. Now I'm not a great dancer. Fair at best. But I don't care. I just love it. I picked up the "Just Dance" game. Oh I love it! I'm not a big '80's music fan as I got my fill in the 80's listening to it growing up. Though I do love a few songs that just happen to be on this game: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Kids of America". What a fun work out! I have to tell you when I was dancing one time I looked over at the couch where the girls were sitting. They were looking at me like I was nuts. I said just be glad I'm not making you dance with me. he.he.he. After a while Ellie jumped down and decided to go after my feet with her paws. That's her way of dancing which always makes me laugh.

Anyway I'm practicing the "Kids of America" because on Tuesday my Sister-in-law is going to trim my hair. So I'm going to bring my controlly thing what ever it's called and the game over there to challange the my two newphews Billy (13yrs), Nick (8yrs) and niece Clara (age 12) to a dance. he.he.he. You can play up to eight people on here. Should be fun!

Well as ususal it's Sunday and I'm doing laundry. Time to go fold the clothes. Have a great Monday!

Hugs!

Bridget

Visit to the vet

2010-08-26T18:00:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

Hope your week is going good! Well we noticed that Izzy has been clearing her throat more and more in the last day or two. It became more pronounced this morning. So I called the vet. We had a 430 appt. I took them on Sunday to a large major pet chain store to get their pedicures instead of their regular groomers. Big mistake. Izzy has kennel cough. It's an awful sounding and I imagine it must hurt. So ten days of medicine. Poor baby. And the chances of Ellie catching it are pretty high unfortunately. Gosh I sure hope not. One girl sick is bad enough. With prompting from my Mom because it never crossed my mind.. I called the major pet store to let them know. They are reimbursing me for the vet bill. Which is nice. I appreciate that. Just wish my Iz didn't have this nasty cough. Besides taking the medicine I'm not suppose to allow her to bark, or run around. Strictly resting. I started laughing when the vet said that. I wondered just how I was going to manage that doctor order. The vet said don't throw the ball and stuff like that. I asked him if he really thought I needed to toss a ball to get them running around? We have two to three WWPF (World Wrestling Puppy Foundation) wrestling matches a day with sound effects! Mostly the silly play growling that tells the other... Come on, don't you want to play? Come on I'll be your best sister! Then the match begins. So all wrestling matches have been officially postponed for a couple weeks. Please know that the girls do not fight in earnest. Truly just a lot of goofing around and I was going to say "horse play" but it's just "dog play". After they get tired they jump on their end of the couch, curl up together and nap for a while. Which is what is happening right now as I type. I got really lucky to have such sweet girls.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Hugs!
Bridget

Ps It looks like Iz is wearing her hair behind her ears and you can see them.

Almost Monday

2010-08-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Hope your weekend was a good one! I stayed busy this weekend. Not crazy busy. But I tell you getting some simple chores completed feels good!

I continued sorting out more books to donate to the library. Did this while singing with my playlist: www.playlist.com/user/49500340/playlists Half of these songs I've heard on the radio. The other half I've found on other blogs. Never know what you might find out there that's good to listen to. I love music.

I also started working on my art project for this Wednesday. Late as usual! Well not as late as usual but it's slow going. I've forgotten so much of my photoshop class it's a bit upsetting to me. So I guess I'll start it over. Thankfully I still have the book and the cd with the lessons on it. I guess this is a lesson of sorts. Maybe then I will be able to use the instructions Mary wrote up on her blog at my request. Be sure to visit Mary's blog for some really fabulous digital pieces of art: http://milesbeyondthemoon.blogspot.com/ The latest post is what I'm hoping to accomplish sooner than later with a digital version of my old family photos. Thank you again for your kindness Mary.

Ok better head off to bed. Still trying to get to bed with the light off before 1am Have a good Monday!

Hugs.

Bridget

Trip to the DeYoung in San Francisco

2010-08-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I hope that your day was a good one! Today our weather was a little bit warmer. Not much though. I think this is probably one of the coolest summers ever. I wondered once we arrived at the north end (city of Sausalito) of the Golden Gate Bridge if we could even see any of it? We arrived in Sausalito and the sun was out. But as we got closer to the bridge we could see fog. We turned off on the Marin Headlands exit. (It's the last exit before going over the bridge into San Francisco.) Once we arrived at the top of the headlands you couldn't see anything but thick fog. Here are a few pictures I snapped of our day. (Please forgive the date stamp. I didn't even know it was on.) I'm a point and snap kind of girl.

This first picture we are driving down the Marin Headlands road toward the bridge. You can see a little bit of the beginning of the north side of the bridge, Angel Island in the distance and the fog rolling in.

This picture was taken from inside the car. We are on the bridge heading south towards San Francisco.
Steph opened up the sun roof so that I could get a little bit more of the bridge.
Here's another open sun roof picture:

Finally we arrived at the DeYoung Museum that is located in Golden Gate Park. This is the "new" DeYoung Museum. The old museum had to be torn down because of the 1987 earthquake damage. The replacement building isn't anything like the old museum, a stucco building. This is my first time visiting an exhibit here.

Here's the front of the museum up close by the entry. You can see a little bit of the park in the window.

Oh my! Who is that famous model in the picture? Yes.. it's Stephanie. Lovely hat dear! And your partner is so swoony! Aren't you the lucky girl!

Well we toured the exhibit. I preferred the later period of paintings of this exhibit. Though thoroughly enjoyed it.

Then we thought we'd be clever. I read on the website a few months ago that you could take your ticket to the Legion of Honor and view their exhibit there at no extra cost. Ok..so let's see.. where to start. I read that information a few months ago. See the picture below. At the bottom it states the museum is open until 5pm. We arrived at 720pm. Not to mention... finding the museum on the GPS. We've always called this museum "Legion of Honor". Ah.. no it's the "California Palace of the Legion of Honor". Oops. Well we made the best of it anyway... Do you see the Eiffel Tower on the left? This painting by George Seurat and it's a regular here at the museum and a must see for me. I love it.

Here is the front of the museum. It's truly a beautiful building. Can you see Rodin sculpture of "The Thinker" under the arch? Did you know that this is one of 24 bronze cast of the sculpture in the world?

Just passed the arch there's a locked gate. So you aren't able to go into the courtyard as you could when it's open.

A closer picture of Rodin's "The Thinker".

Oh this is me trying to take a clever picture. Wish the date stamp wasn't there. I might photo shop it out.

Me and Steph being silly.

On a clear day you would be able to see the ocean through the trees.

Thank you for allowing me to share my day with you!

Hugs!

Bridget

P.S. Mom, Did you enjoy all the bridge pics and the fog? Wishing you were here to enjoy it too. It was cold and damp 56 degrees. Huge difference from your 117.

Tomorrow afternoon

2010-08-18T18:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Tomorrow is FINALLY the day Stephanie and I go to San Francisco to the DeYoung Museum! Here's a link if you want to take a peek of the exhibit we are viewing: http://orsay.famsf.org/ I'm beyond excited to go. I know I went to SF back in May for Jury Duty. Maybe I should have done a little bit of exploring after Jury Duty. However I have very little sense of direction and didn't bring the map with me. Just the bus schedule. I know too silly. I was just too wrapped up in the 4am wake up call, 5am bus trip and the possibility of being chosen to think about anything that could have possibly been fun. Again... too silly.

Well see you tomorrow night! If it's not foggy... which it might be I'll see if we can get some pics of the bridge to share.

Have a good day tomorrow!

Hugs!
Bridget

When life takes an unexpected turn

2010-08-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Tonight I am thinking about my cousin. I found out her Mother died today. This cousin and I are second cousins. We didn't grow up together. We met as adults at a family reunion. We are the same age. We both grew up in small towns in Northern California. And we really just clicked. Her Mother taking ill was very unexpected. I really believed in my heart her Mother would pull through. I hoped and prayed she would. So tonight my heart aches for my cousin and her family.

Hugs.
Bridget

A quick black out

2010-08-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Our electricity went out this evening. Flickered back on. Then out again. Thank goodness it was only 830pm so I could still see around the house. I lit up some vanilla candles and waited. Everytime the lights go out I think the very same thing. What can you do without electricity? The candlelight isn't bright enough to read. My dishes were already done. ... Then I thought...Of course! I could talk on the cell phone! I called my Mom.

Of course five minutes after I called the lights came back on. That ole Murphy's Law for you. I left the candles burning for a little bit. My sense of smell is great. Which isn't so great some of the time. But I love the smell of vanilla. I know it too can be a little too much sometimes. But for me it's a smell of comfort. Kind of silly, huh? And that's ok. I don't mind being a little silly at all.

Have a good Tuesday! Crossing my fingers we hit 80 degrees again tomorrow!

Hugs!
Bridget

Weekend miscellanous

2010-08-15T22:43:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty good. I worked on some chores, the genealogy, communicated with a distant cousin, sent some cards out to some loved ones that are going through some difficult times with regards to health issues, washed the gray out of my hair and talked a few times with both my Mom and my sister Stephanie. I also watched "Last Holiday" with Queen Latifah. I love this movie! It's a favorite of mine. I can't wait for her last movie "Wright Stuff" to be released in DVD. I love a good chick flick.

I'm looking forward to Thursday and my trip to San Francisco with Stephanie. We have tickets for 4:30pm. My fingers are crossed and I'm hoping not to be rushed or crowded since we are going on a week day. I might be hoping for too much. I believe we saw the Frieda Kahlo exhibit on a Thursday and it was very crowded. So I guess we'll see. I also want to check out the book that was published for the exhibit. I looked it up on Amazon and it didn't get too good of reviews. I don't know about you... but I never believe what I read. I always have to see for myself. I'm definitely a person that likes to make up her own mind.

I read on a favorite blog of mine that the person is already starting her Christmas shopping. Yes in August. I totally get it. I love to shop. But come November/December.. I'd rather not deal with the crazy crowds. I also get the feeling things get marked up a huge amount around that time. So I've started thinking of ideas for gifts to both give and put on my wish list. I won't mention ideas for the gifts to give. But I'll tell you tonight while I was doing the dishes and baking blueberry muffins for tomorrow that I would love (!) for my Mom (hint.hint.) to crochet me some more red and white pot holders. These pot holders are SO much better than the ones you buy at the store. And super cute too!

Does your Mom make things? My Mom always worked while I grew up. I can tell you of one little top she made when I was in fourth grade. It was a little white smock (very hip in the '70's) with very delicate pale blue roses on it. I loved it. And when a girl in my class opened the chinchilla cage at school and ripped it my heart broke. My Mom is now retired. She knits a bit and crochets. Mostly crochets. Her scarfs are beautiful. I love the last one she gave me. I call the color cranberry. Other people call it purple. I'm not a big purple girl... So it's officially cranberry.

Tonight while I was doing dishes and what not in the kitchen my little Miss Ellie decided to chew on my ear buds for my computer. Thankfully only the ear buds look pretty chewed up but nothing came apart or swallowed. Thank goodness.

I made blueberry muffins for my husband to take to work tomorrow. He's been wanting some for a week or so. I thought tonight at 845pm that it might be a good way for all of them to start their week since they've been so crazy busy. I wish I would have made up my mind earlier to take out some frozen blueberries to thaw to add to the mix. Oh well. Next time.

Well I hope that you have a good week!

Hugs!

Bridget

PS The image above is from Finsbry's collection. I just love the images in her collection. Thank you!

Kelly Corrigan

2010-08-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

I stumbled across Kelly Corrigan's name today. Watched one of her videos. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6jQ4VNEA9I&feature=player_embedded

Kelly's going to be reading in Point Reyes Station, CA on September 11th. I might see if my sister Stephanie would like to see her. Also going to order her first book "The Middle Place". Both Kelly and her father are cancer survivors. Just what I've read and watched on her videos the "middle place" is a good place to be. If interested her site is: kellycorrigan.com

Enjoy the video " I Dare You". This video really spoke to me. Just wanted to share.

Hope you had a good weekend!

Hugs!
Bridget

Au Revoir Charlie!

2010-08-05T22:56:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

Tonight Charlie's family came by to pick him up. They called first. I was kind of hoping that they were going to need us to watch him an extra night. No such luck. Maybe that's a good thing. All four of us were growing very attached. I spent the most time with him as he went to work with me. I nicknamed Charlie "Shadow". He most certainly stuck to me like glue. I tried to get a picture of the dear boy a couple times. No such luck. If I loaded the pictures I actually captured you would see a blur. This morning while I was having my oatmeal the dogs decided to play "keep away". Izzy grabbed Charlie's stuffed brown duck. Then the chase was on. So as you can tell my little "Shadow" was fitting in quite well.

Ok.. It's officially my Friday. I'm tired. It's a really good tired because I got a lot accomplished at work this week. What do I have planned? Oh some house cleaning. The yard needs to be mowed in the front. Walking the girls. I don't plan on running around. There is a exhibit going on here: http://yourtown.pressdemocrat.com/2010/07/healdsburg/a-century-of-healdsburg-attire/
Thankfully it runs for another month so I don't think I need to run out this weekend to see it. I feel like I've been running since before my parents were here a few weeks ago. So my plan is to stick close to home.

Have a great weekend!

Hugs!

Bridget

While I was reading my long list of blogs this evening...

2010-08-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

I came across this:

Choose

Happiness

Sometimes I need a simple reminder.

A new way to walk a dog

2010-08-01T21:16:00.001-07:00

A new way? Yes. Charlie leading. The girls following him. Paws down. They adore him.

Half way through the walk Ellie has had enough as usual. Some things don't change. I won't pick her up and carry her. So she pouts and drags that freshly groomed tail of hers all the way home.

All is quiet now. Three sleeping dogs are all snuggled up for the night. I'm off to fold the laundry.

Hope your Monday is a good one!

Hugs!

Bridget

Charlie is here!

2010-07-31T23:29:00.000-07:00

Charlie is visiting while his family is away on vacation. I was a little worried about how everybody was going to get along. I wasn't worried about Charlie. He's a pretty cool cat... umm I mean dog. Well I worried for nothing. It's unanimous. My girls are in love! Charlie has his own official fan club of two! After a while I put him in his dog pin just so he could have a little space and not have two girls chasing him around. Gracious girls! Poor Charlie. Well they watched him in the crate until Charlie fell asleep. The excitement is over for the night. I'm sure my girls will be dreaming of Charlie tonight.

Hugs!

Bridget

PS I'll take some pictures tomorrow.

Busy doing this and that...

2010-07-29T23:35:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Hope you all is well with you! Let's see where to begin...

I mentioned that I had a really good visit with my parents in my previous post. I always enjoy their company. But it's also the little things that I enjoy when they are here. Example: Family dinners. I'm one of five kids. So preparing a meal for more than two and a full table of family having a meal is a joy! I forget how much I miss all the chatter and noise.

Also I am still continuing with my genealogy. My Mom, my aunt as well as other family members have really completed quite a bit. So I've added to it a bit. I love looking things up and figuring out if they work or not. Found quite a bit for no cost on line. Even met some 3rd cousins that were so incredibly generous with their researched information and even (!!) old pictures. I know. Don't even pinch me. It was worth a call to my Mom after 10pm one night. I was SO excited!!

My sister Stephanie and I have tickets to go to the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco to see the "Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musee de O'rsay" in a few weeks. Very excited to see this. Later towards the end of October we'll most likely go back and see "Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionism Masterpieces from the Musee de O'rsay". Everytime I think about going to a museum in the city I remember a visit with my best friend Deb in the 1980's. We attended a very crowded evening event. Just one look at us and you could tell we most certainly were not from the city nor very savvy on what to wear to one of these events. Everybody was wearing black and various shades of gray. Not us. Deb wore a light blue dress with a satin sheen to it. As for me... Well I had been waiting to wear this white dress with red polka dots with red pumps. I giggle to myself every time I think about this. Neither of us cared that we weren't wearing the same thing as everybody else. Frankly I was just too ecstatic about seeing the bronzed ballerina statue by Degas and a very favorite painting by Mary Cassatt. I love going to the museums. The last exhibit we saw was Freida Kahlo.

Work is slowly starting to pick up. I'm sure by September I'll have more hours through the final deadline. Which will be nice. And then back to off season hours .. which will again be appreciated.

Tomorrow I'll be taking the girls in for a spa day aka grooming. Every other month they get a full body treatment as I call it. Lucky girls! While they are having a spa day I'm off to work for a couple of hours.

I am also dog sitting starting this Saturday thru Thursday for one of my employers. I wonder how the girls are going to like Charlie the King Cavalier spaniel. I'm pretty sure Miss Izzy will like him. She likes eveybody. As for Miss Ellie... well she's a bit shy and not so quick to be friends. Hoping it's a fun week for all. Cross your fingers. I've never done this before. So any way.. three dogs in the house will keep things interesting.

Let's see what else?! Oh last night was my local Art Group night. We are down to five women including myself plus a pixie member. And you know I think it's ok. We've decided to choose a project based on three items each month: a word, a color and a shape. This month the color is aqua, the word is friendship (after typing this my mind flashed to the old game show Password. he.he.) and circle is the shape. While working on this I'm trying to incorporate old family photos onto canvas for my picture wall. Some will tell a story that I know about it or the family member in the picture. My first project wasn't very successful. Thankfully I knew that the girls would know just what I was doing wrong. Sure enough.. I was missing some important steps. So I'll be trying again this weekend. If it doesn't work.. I'll have to figure another way to get what I'm trying to accomplish a different way. I am determined to succeed and have a great family picture wall of stories.

Tomorrow night I'm going to the movies with Deb. We are going to see an independent film titled "Winter's Bone".

Well catch up with you later. Have a great weekend!

Hugs!

Bridget

It's back to work tomorrow.

2010-07-20T23:35:00.001-07:00

Happy almost Wednesday!

Just a quick note... My parents leave first thing tomorrow morning. I really had a good visit. I know it's time for them to go home.. but frankly if they wanted to move back to California.. I'd rent the moving trucks and help them pack tomorrow.

Well it's a full day at work tomorrow. So I best fold my laundry and get to bed (hopefully before 230-3am.) Shush... don't tell.. I'm back on Bridget time again.

Have a good day!
Bridget

Visiting with my parents

2010-07-18T23:01:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

My parents drove up for a visit. I took some vacation time to be able to spend extra time with them. I haven't seem them since Christmas. There hasn't been any big plans while they are here. Just quality family time that was needed by all.

Hugs.
Bridget

PS I'll be a better blogger next weekend.

Have you ever Googled somebody?

2010-06-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

I should start out by telling you that I have a Flickr (a site to load your photos on to share with others) account. One of the groups on Flickr is of old photos with missing families. The group is called something like "Do you know who we are?". Since I'm pretty familiar with old family photos from both my Mom's parent's sides I thought I should take some time to look. And I mean I really looked at probably over 200 photos. Then I got to thinking that if they were sorted by location it might be easier to locate missing families. Old photos also known as cabinet cards have the photographer/or studio name, a city and a state on the front for the most part. I'm not sure there's an option in Flickr or not. I'm guessing that information might be entered as a tag.

I then pulled up a couple of my scanned family photos to see if I could enter the photographers name or location in the search. Nothing. I even tried some old family names. Again. Nothing. So I gave up my search in Flickr.

Then I thought .... Google. Have you ever Googled somebody? I think I remember reading this as a survey question on the CNN site a month ago or so. Well I did Google somebody. One of my Great-great Grandmother's sisters.

I scored! (Invisible high-five!) Please note I am not bragging. Just excited! It's just to actually find something when you least suspect it... is well... amazing!

Surprisingly enough up popped a couple pieces of (really great!) family information that even I could verify because I know the names of my ancestors. How neat is that?! I jumped off the couch, put the laptop on the coffee table and raced for my cell phone to call my Mom our Family Tree person. My Mom could not believe how much I found without having to use a pay site (ie Ancestry dot com).

The last couple of nights I have been looking at various search engines for information. One sight even had three of our old family photos on it (exactly like what my Mom has) including one of my Great-Grandparent's wedding picture. Now I know of three copies that exist... and best of all their names and relations are known. Isn't that the best?! I mean if you think about all the old photos out there with missing families... it's heartbreaking. Well to me anyway and exactly why I looked through all those old photos on Flickr.

I always thought of my Mom as the Family Tree person. Now I think I've caught the bug. he.he.he. I'm SO glad that I took an interest in my Gram's old family photos at a young age. Very, very thankful that my Gram would humor me and go through each picture telling me who they were and how they were related... every single time I went to visit. Which was a lot.

Ancestry dot com had a show on television named "Who Do You Think You Are?". If you missed it you can still watch it on Hulu dot com. I thought I knew the answer to that question. But I am beginning to find out more about who exactly I am.

Hugs!
Bridget

PS Amazing stuff is out there if you take the time to look.

Hot weather

2010-06-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Gracious it was quite hot here today. It was 94 degrees. Even warmer than Arizona where the temperature was only 89 degrees per my Mom. Thankfully we cool down here at night. So the windows are all wide open letting the cooler air in. Both of my girls are cooling off too. Thank goodness. I actually worry about them the most when it's hot.

I was suppose to be going to the city with my sister tomorrow. We've postponed it for now because the last couple days I have had a sinus headache. Crossing my fingers that it will be gone by tomorrow.

My parents will be coming up for a visit in July. I cannot wait! I haven't seen them since Christmas when we drove down. They will be spending their 39th anniversary here with us. Mom thought we should all go on a picnic instead of going to a restaurant. Sounds kind of fun.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Hugs.
Bridget

Grandmothers

2010-06-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I received a very late email this evening with some heartbreaking news. I don't think I was suppose to receive it until tomorrow. but being the late bird I am... I received it at midnight. Of course everybody has been in bed for a few hours. Now I'm alone with my thoughts. My best friend Deb's Grandma Vinnie has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Feeling sad is an understatement. The city we grew up in was a lot smaller when we were kids. Everybody knew everybody. My Mom went to high school with Deb's parents. My Mom worked with Grandma Vinnie for a lot of years. Our families are strongly tied together. Grandma Vinnie is the last of my living Grandmothers.

Most people have two Grandmothers. I've had six. Bet I have you wondering about that. I did start out with two like everybody else. My Mom (a very young widow) remarried when I was seven years and my brother Bill was five years old. We not only got a new Dad, two new brothers and a sister... but a set of Grandparents, and Auntie, more cousins.. and extended Grandmothers. My "new" Dad at the time was divorced and had in laws from his former wife (one more Grandma) plus she (the former wife) had new in laws (another Grandma). I know it sounds complicated. But the easiest way to explain it is when you are little you don't understand why you have to call somebody Mrs. this or Mrs. that when your new siblings are calling them Grandma. The extended families graciously allowed my little brother and I to call them Grandma Ann and Grandma Mae. We didn't know any better until later. But by that time.. They were Grandmothers to us. And truly what did it matter?

Have you ever seen "Peggy Sue Got Married"? It was filmed in the mid-1980's. My home town was one of the locations of filming. The reason I bring this up I remember when Peggy Sue got "transported" back in time to her childhood home. The old telephone rang. Peggy Sue answered it and went into shock because her Grandma was the person that called. She couldn't believe her Grandmother was on the telephone. Her parents didn't understand why she was acting like that. Nor did I, even being in my very early 20's as I still had all my Grandmothers. Now at 46 I get it.

So though my heart is heavy for Grandma Vinnie, Deb and her family... I count my blessings that I was lucky enough to have so many Grandmothers in my life.

Hugs.

Bridget

Movies, Glee and the deYoung

2010-06-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

Just a very short post. I saw the Sex and the City 2 movie this evening. I loved it. It was like a visit from old friends. Totally silly I know. But so true. And if they make 10 movies.. I'd go and see each one of them. Then buy the dvd!

Watched the Glee finale. I always love the music and the sentiment. I had a little bit of an issue with the Rachel and her birth Mother's story line. I tried to look beyond it to the general story... which is another year of Glee!

Extremely (!) excited to see the "Birth of Impressionism" exhibit at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco this Sunday. The Masterpieces are from the Musee D'Orsay in Paris, France. They've never been out of France. This is part one of the exhibit. Part two will be later in the fall. It's a sister day for Stephanie and I. Should be a lot of fun! Hoping to stop by the Legion of Honor after to make a full day of art!

Have a good rest of the week!

Hugs!
Bridget

Tonight was the graduation

2010-06-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

This sixth grade graduation was special. Yes, I am bias. I enjoy family events. Tonight was all about my youngest niece, Clara.

I wanted to share a few things that I learned about Clara's 6th grade graduation....

You don't need to wear a dress....

Your little brother can be the cool kid walking a cross the back of the ceremony. (He smelled really good too. Who knew he wore Stetson like his Dad? He is totally a mini-me of my brother.)

That you were suppose to wear a pink flower in your hair?

How it would be possible to be even more proud of my niece than I already was. I am! Go Clara!

Even though tonight was about Clara and her 6th grade graduation I noticed another thing. The youngest members of my family are growing so very quickly.

Happy Graduation Clara!

Hugs!
Auntie Bridge

A Sixth Grade Graduation to attend

2010-06-01T23:48:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note...

Tomorrow my little brothers youngest daughter (my youngest niece), Clara graduates from her elementary school. I'm so excited for her! I picked her up a gift certificate to the book store because Clara loves to read! Must be in the genes. he.he.he.

Have a great Wednesday!

Hugs.
Bridget

Hobbies...

2010-05-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Monday when I was seated in the jury box there was a list of questions on a board that all potential jurors were suppose to answer. One question asked about your hobbies. I replied with art. Kind of a broad answer.

But then I got to thinking about that question. Is art my only hobby? The answer would be no. Did I bring a sketch book with pencils to court? No. I brought a book. Reading is truly one of my very favorite hobbies. I just didn't think about it. Later I did think to myself "Duh, Bridge". In the last five days I've read four books. So I should have answered art and reading.

Last year or so I started logging in my book to a site called "Shelfari". I kind of like knowing what I've read. I also like to read about how others liked a book I did or why they didn't just out of curiosity. Or even find another good author. I find one I love and want to read everything they have published. Then end up waiting year to year for new books.

I don't think I will ever join a book club other than a "group" on Shelfari because I want to read what I want to read, when I want to read it. Not something somebody else has picked out especially for pleasure. To me reading should be fun for the most part.

What's your hobby?

Have a great Thursday!

Hugs!
Bridget

Jury duty in San Francisco

2010-05-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

I found out last Friday after 5 p.m. that my number came up to become a potential juror for the Northern California District court located in San Francisco, CA.

We (the jurors) were told to arrive and check in by 7:15 a.m. All 120 of us showed up. Four cases (all civil) were beginning that day. We were also told that the chances of becoming a juror was 1 in 5. It was quite a process we first watched a 20 minute film that featured Supreme Court Justices telling us why it was an honor to become a juror. Truthfully by the end of the film I had bought in to it. I felt a little less hostile about getting up at 4 a.m. to catch a 5 a.m. bus to be in San Francisco by the time I usually get out of bed on a work day. We were broken up into four groups. I was part of the very last group. My judge looked and sounded a lot like Vern Yip on HGTV. Anyway.. I was thanked for my service and excused. Prior to being excused the judge said to not take it personally. Believe me we didn't.

I did start a book that morning once I arrived to the Federal building at 6:20 a.m. I started reading "Fashionably Late" by Beth Kendrick which I ended up finishing later that night as it was too good to put down. After a nap of course. he.he.

My day was extremely long with getting up early, the bus rides, but mostly from all my worrying and fretting over the weekend. I really enjoy San Francisco.. but on my terms i.e.. The de Young Museum or the Legion of Honor.

Well have a good Wednesday!

Hugs!
Bridget

Let's catch up

2010-05-02T01:14:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

Thought I'd start out on a truly lovely note.. (see above) one of Finsbry's collection of vintage pretties. I love them. This one I think is one of my favorites. Oh I think I love all of them!

Let's see where to begin...

Tax season finally ended thankfully. This by far was the hardest tax season for me. So I'm really glad it's over for now.

For my birthday I went to Chevy's which is a Tex-Mex restuarant here. We had a nice lunch and I even had a margarita. I can't remember the last time I had one. So it was enjoyable. We stopped by Beverly's and I bought myself a candle chandelier. It's already hanging in the dining room.

Last weekend was a bunch of fun. Friday night Deb (my best friend since 2nd grade) and I went to see "Last Song". I admit I love (!) Greg Kinnear. Miley Cyrus... well I don't love her so much at all. I think the story of the movie was good. But Miley's acting was just plain awful. I laughed when I should have been sobbing. I know I'm bad. Thankfully it was only Deb, one solo man and I in the theatre. Deb cried a little. It kind of made me think that I might be getting a bit jaded. Deb was crying. And this hasn't been the first time. So it's been on my mind.

Saturday afternoon I ran my girls down to the best groomers in the entire county for a full body treatment. You should see their business card. It's their dogs picture on a faux CA drivers license. Too cute!! After dropping the girls off I ran home and got ready to go out. My sister Stephanie and I went to Daphine's Greek food for lunch and then off to see "Grease" at the local junior college. It was a wonderful production. We enjoyed it a lot. By the time I got home the girls were looking like cute little dogs instead of cute little dust mops needing a haircut. Tax season by April usually has taken it's toll on the entire house I'm sorry to say. So now we are trying to get back into the general routine of life.

Thursday morning I read in the obituary's that a beloved elementary school teacher died. He was my 6th grade teacher in 1976. Yes.. I know it's been a while. Some people touch our hearts forever. And a heart never forgets it. Remember how I said I was feeling like I might be jaded because I wasn't crying at any of the sad movies? Well I cried all Thursday morning before work. The mascara and eye liner disappeared before I even walked out the front door. I cried again just this morning when I wrote something in his guest book on the Legacy website. Just thinking about him passing on makes my eyes tear. So am I jaded? Probably not. I guess unless the story or person really touches my heart I don't cry any more.

I have Fridays off now. I watched "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin. I enjoyed it. Today on Hulu I watched Ancestry.com's show "Who Do You Think You Are?". You can watch all seven episodes on Hulu with limited commercial breaks. Yikes. Now I sound like a commercial. Sorry. The show is really good. I hope they will film more. I love a good story. And there were seven of them to see. I watched them backwards (episodes 7 to 1). I think 1 was my favorite. But I love Saricca (aka Sarah Jessica Parker) anyway.

Tomorrow I get my haircut finally. I did chop my bangs once. I need bangs because I have a five-head. Not a forehead. So my bangs are pretty important to me. The rest of my hair is too long too. But I promised not to take the scissors to it... but not the bangs.

Let's see what else? I have to call a number tomorrow night to find out if I'm picked for jury duty in San Francisco. I'm NOT too thrilled about it to say the very least. If I'm chosen to appear I'll be taking the bus down there. Cross your fingers I don't get picked. With my luck I will get chosen... but I'm hoping not. I've been on a jury before. I understand "civic duty" and etc. But SF is a bit far from home. I will have to remember to check my attitude at the door.

Ok, what else? Mom and I are adding our old family photos to her family tree version 2010. You can add the photos and link them to the persons name. I told Mom that I'm seriously worried about what happens to these photos later on? Will they end up at a flea market because somebody won't know just who they are? We both decided that spending the extra time linking the photos to the family tree would be best. Then we could reprint the family tree and everybody in the family could have a copy of all the photos and know just how they are connected and WHO the person in the picture is. I mean after all they are "family" photos. It would be really great if we could round up more photos than what we have. I know there are more out there because one picture surfaced at a family reunion ten years ago. Not to mention there was an album of old pictures brought to the family reunion one year as well. My fingers are crossed that someday all pictures can be shared with the entire family. Also I am going to colorize some old snapshots and transfer (thanks for the directions Alissa!!!) them on some 12x12 canvas for my family picture wall that runs up my staircase. So those two items will surely keep me busy all summer long.

Also I have an idea that I need to run by my Mom. Since I watched that Ancestry show it made me think about taking a road trip to Kansas where my Gram and her family grew up. When my Gram was a very young girl there wasn't enough money for a Christmas tree one year. So two of the six sisters climbed a tree and topped it off. And they had their Christmas tree. When my Gram and my Uncle Bill took a trip back to Kansas in the late 1970's the tree had two tops. I would love to see this house in person and that old tree. I wonder if it's still there. I did a map quest for directions to see just how long it would take to get there from AZ. Almost 17 hours. That doesn't include my drive down south which is 14 hours. I think I'll ask Mom about it after she and Dad get back from their weekly Sunday breakfast date.

Ok.. It's late. I always blog at night since it's delightfully quiet. However tonight Miss Izzy is just not sharing the couch. My legs are curled up tight and I'm uncomfortable. I tried moving her and she moans like a little infant. I can't have that. So I stay cramped until we all go upstairs.

Hope your weekend was a good one!

Hugs!

Bridget

PS Yes I do talk this much in person too. :o)

My birthday weekend.

2010-04-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello,

Having a wonderfully relaxing birthday weekend! Had a nice lunch yesterday and ran a few errands. But mostly reading (read one book and I'm more than half way through another.) and relaxing. Right now I'm baking my birthday cake. Not an angel food cake which is my favorite as I don't really have the patience to make today. So a white cake with chocolate frosting will do just fine.

Catch up later in the week!

Hugs!

Bridget

PS This lovely image is from finsbry's stream. Thanks for allowing me to use it on my blog.

8 days and counting down

2010-04-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

I know it's silly. Almost pointless... I do it every single year. This is my seventeenth tax season and I'll always count down. Even though I've not worked the hours I have in the past, I'm tired this year. I've been trying really hard not to catch a cold. I think I'm losing the battle. The last couple mornings I wake up looking like Rocky. Not pretty. I told my co-workers tomorrow if my left eye is completely swollen shut I'm going to start screaming "Adrienne!". he.he.he. I know stupid humor. But laughing at myself makes it easier to deal with.

So with counting down the days until the end of tax season I know two days later I get a year older. I've decided that 46 is a good number. But I don't feel 46. I did take the "real age" test from the Dr. Oz website. The results were I was older than I am. HA! Nope sorry Dr. Oz. I'm officially feeling 37! Why 37? Well because I was feeling 36 this last year. How is that for reasoning? I know.. I'm silly. But why not? I truly believe age is a state of mind. And it's more than ok to be how ever old you feel. I remember growing up my Dad would say every year that he was 29. We'd remind Dad you were 29 last year. It didn't matter. Dad felt 29. Well Dad stayed 29 until my oldest brother turned 29. Then he jumped to 39. So I guess that might explain my reasoning for age. It's a number. I plan on feeling 46 when I'm 70!

Well off to take some night time cold medicine and get some sleep. I'm sure tomorrow I'll need to be in top form for another exciting day of income tax returns.

Have a great Thursday!

Hugs!

Bridget

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T07:44:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

Just a quick note as I'm off to work in a bit. Life is busy with taxes and I'm loving it! Just eleven more days. Everybody here is doing well. I promise to catch up after the deadline. Not to mention be a better blogger again.

Have a wonderful day!

Hugs!

Bridget

PS Thanks to Finsbry as this beautiful image is from her Flickr stream. Thank you for allowing me to use it on my blog. I love it.

An important message to my Momma Mia!

2010-03-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Now that it's officially March 31st...

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

How I ever got so lucky to get you for my Mom I'll never know. I hope your day is filled (!) with lots of love, laughter and LOTS of really bad singing of happy birthday via the telephone and in person.

Love you lots!!

Bridget

Spring Forward & Movies

2010-03-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Not a lot going on this weekend. No work for one which I admit is a bit scary for me. Having an entire weekend off in March is most unusual for me. I'm trying hard to shake off the scariness of it and enjoy the weekend. However it is a bit hard. Luckily a little yard work and laundry will allow me to use some of this nervous energy.

Last night I rented "Bright Start". It's a love story of famous poet, John Keats and Fanny Brawn. I didn't know much about the film other than it was a period movie. It started out pretty slow. Almost turned it off about a quarter into the movie. But decided to give it a chance. The story is sad one. But what I enjoyed most was the costumes of Fanny Brawn. Fanny was a talented seamstress and a designer. All the dresses were lovely. And the hats were most gorgeous! I think if hats were something we needed to wear on a regular basis I would definitely want to wear a few of hers.

"Meet the Morgans" comes out in dvd on Tuesday. I saw this movie in the theatre before Christmas. It's a fun film. I love the cast: Sarah Jessica Parker (whom I call Sarrica), Hugh Grant, Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen. I don't know why I always think Hugh Grant plays the same roll most every time. The only time he didn't play the cute English man with the sarcastic sense of humor was in the Diary of Bridget Jones and I absolutely hated his character. Anyway...the movie is worth the dollar for a red box rental. Especially you want something light and fluffy.

Have a great Sunday!

Hugs!
Bridget

PS Move your clocks forward by an hour. Also remember to change all batteries in your smoke detectors.

A quick catch up

2010-03-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hello,

It's been a couple weeks since my last post. Life has been pretty busy. It is tax season. When most people think of tax season they think "oh no taxes!". But for me it's more than numbers, it's the people and the cycle of life: New babies and even death. I love seeing the clients new babies. I love to see how much their little children grow from year to year. But the death thing.... I truly cannot stand. When you see your clients once a year you form a relationship. It amazes me how much you can learn about a person in such a short amount of time. I hear about jobs, families, illnesses, both happy and sad events. I told my Mom that these tax appointments are like mini family reunions. Silly, huh?. I mean we all meet up once a year, catch up and I tell them see you next year as they walk out the door. So anyway... From January to April 15th tax season is my main focus.

During the work week I always come home for lunch as I work 3 miles away. I decided on Monday as I was extremely stressed out to take the girls for a short walk. The girls are not walkers like my previous dog Callie. In fact just the opposite. Not judging just stating the facts. (I sound like Dragnet.) Izzy looks at everything except for what's in front of her. Ellie gives me two choices.. either pick her up and carry her OR let's hurry and get this over with and drags her tail the entire way. I choose the second choice. Well to save me from tripping over both of them I tied their leashes together. Ellie usually ends up giving Izzy a tug to move along. And thankfully I don't trip over them in the process or even step on them. After five days of walking they are walking a little bit better. It's nice to walk off the pressures and anxieties from work before I start the second half of my day.

I've participated in a couple of art swaps. One was a tag swap for Valentine's day which is a beautiful book! I love it! The other is an Itty Bitty Book that was due a couple weeks ago. The theme was "Your favorite color". My favorite color is green. So some good mail will be arriving sometime soon. Don't you just love good mail?!!

Friday I went to the movies with my friend Deb. We saw "Dear John". It was pretty good. Deb read the book. The movie's ending is different than the book. I was really surprised that it wasn't a double kleenex movie. The author of "Dear John" also wrote "The Notebook" which always makes me cry. A lot. So good company and a good movie. Can't beat that, huh?!

Saturday was just a day of rest. Truthfully after six days of work I'm beat. I always have grandiose ideas of what I can accomplish. But instead I watched a couple of my favorite shows on Hulu: "Mercy" and "Project Runway" and not to much more. Oh I love these shows!! And I cannot wait for Glee to start again in April. I know it's for kids. But I really enjoy it.

Today I started my work week with a half of day. I truly much rather work on a Sunday than a Saturday. It's quieter and easier to concentrate.

Ok well off to finish my laundry. Have a great week!

Hugs!

Bridget

About me and birds...

2010-02-18T21:39:00.001-08:00

I just read a post on a friends blog. The post was about how she saved an ad from the 1980's that had a parakeet on it and how she had a parakeet for her first pet.

Isn't it funny how you can read something and have it triggers so many memories. I immediately thought of the following:

I remembered my family's first pet was a German Shepherd. I don't know why that large breed. It might have been a favorite of my Dad's. I'll have to try and remember to ask my Mom tomorrow.

Then how my best friend, Deb from second grade's parakeet, Buddy always seemed to be wanting to sit on my head when I went to her house. And I mean EVERY single time. My friend and her family would laugh and laugh. It would freak me out every time. I got to the point that I wouldn't want to go inside her house unless the bird was put away. I think back and now it's a bit amusing. I mean my "Farrah" hair style was suppose to have the "feathered" look. But I guess it must have looked like a nest to ole Buddy. I preferred Deb's other pet, a cat named Mimi until she had gas.. then she was Pew-Pew. (I laugh as I type this.)

Ok.. back to the birds..The walk to Deb's house was a nightmare. As soon as I started walking down her street. Swoop. Swoop. Swoop. Again.. messing my carefully styled hair. Every single house I walked by had a tree in the front yard. I think there must have been a nest in every tree. It seemed very Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" to me. So what did I do? I started walking down the middle of the street. Thank goodness it was only two year of walking that way to middle school.

And how Deb talked me into feeding a parrot when we went to Hawaii I'll never know. They warn you to keep your fingers close together and your hand flat. Or you know what could happen? Chomp goes the finger. They don't quite warn you like that. But that's my interpretation. So Deb filmed this event with her Dad's old movie camera (before camcorders & etc). This is what happens in the silent film. There's Me all wet from a tropical rain storm standing not so close to this parrot. I'm sure it's beautiful. But I'm much too concerned about making sure I have all my fingers after I feed this bird. The person puts some food in my hand that is squeezed hard to stay flat. I get a chill. Yes.. that's on the movie too. It also brought a lot of laughs. I think without the movie I could have easily forgotten this. Guess you know what I'll never be doing again.

I really do like birds. I just like them at a distance. I'm more of a dog person. Dogs only want to sit on your lap. Or sleep on the couch next to you while you surf or blog... like right this moment.

Hugs.

Bridget

PS Mom, sending you positive thoughts for Miss Russ!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

I hope your day is a special one!

Hugs!
Bridget

Learning the word "focus"

2010-02-08T21:39:00.001-08:00

My old boss use to say that sometimes things happen so that you can relearn a word you thought you knew. What he didn't say is that relearning a word usually isn't pleasant.... For example a couple months ago my words were various expensive car parts. Today the word was "focus". After a day like today you can bet I know what the word means.

I did watch "I Love New York". Did I love it? No. The short movies were good, but they didn't mean anything all together. I loved "Je' Taime Paris" better because all the short movies that are rolled into the film all seemed to connect. I Love New York didn't. I was truly hoping for more. I did love that James Caan aka Sonny Corleone (Godfather) was in the film as well as his fictional son, Andy Garcia aka Vincent Mancini.

Cross your fingers that it will be a better day tomorrow.

Hugs.

Bridget

A Saturday off from work in February

2010-02-06T20:29:00.001-08:00

Don't pinch me. I really needed this entire weekend off. Last week was tough. So being told I didn't need to come in today was a blessing of sorts. I could tell you what I should have been doing instead of what I did... which wasn't much. But boy was it nice!

Tomorrow will have to be a different story. But that's tomorrow. Today is still Saturday. And I'm off to go upstairs and watch the movie I rented "I Love New York". Redbox had it. Let you know tomorrow night how it was.

Hugs!
Bridget

Happy Groundhogs Day!

2010-02-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

I had a feeling ole Punxsutawney Phil would see his shadow. So six more weeks of winter. Hopefully we get lots more rain!

In any case this day is usually a day where we watch the movie "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray. It's a tradition. However this year my husband is working the late shift. So no movie tonight. Maybe later this weekend.

There are a few movies I'd like to see that have been recently released. "New York, I Love You" Can you believe this film was only shown in three theaters in all of California? It's true. So I'm totally excited to see this movie. (We have "Je Taime, Paris". I loved this film! ) The reviews for this movie aren't good. But you know I really don't let that sway me. Another is the Jennifer Aniston movie, "Love Happens". I'm not a huge fan of hers. But I think I'll give it a shot via Redbox. The last movie I can't wait to see was released last week. It's a period movie called "Bright Star". I love period movies!!

Today is my friend Molly's daughters first birthday. So a little shout out to our youngest art group member: Happy Birthday sweet Kennedy!!

Well off to bed. Hoping I don't wake up to Sonny and Cher singing "I Got You Babe" followed by the DJ saying, "Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today." Just a little groundhog day silliness.

Hugs!

Bridget

On Friday, January 22nd...

2010-01-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

My niece got married. What a fun wedding! The bride and the groom perfectly compliment each other in every way. They will live happily ever after.

Hugs!

Bridget

Sweet quiet moments I wish for all dogs

2010-01-21T00:17:00.001-08:00

Meet my girls. Izzy is on the left and Ellie is on the right. Did you notice that Izzy is smiling? I love that. There are a million and one reasons I love them. And all of them have to do with the two of them being their sweet silly little selves.

Tonight I'm loving that my two girls are sleeping next to me on the couch while I surf and/or play mahjong on my laptop. Their quiet company is so comforting on this rainy night. How I wish all dogs had what my girls have.

I know my blog has a small following but if you have a facebook account please consider logging on and voting for dogs like Chase (see picture) . There is a contest on Facebook for small charitable organizations. All you have to do is vote. Chase was abused for three years by some idiot owners. Here is her story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4giaORFP5M See what a little love can do. Hope for Paws is an organization that rescues animals that are abused, abandoned, dropped off at the pound, or even rescued from the desert. Hope for Paws not only rescues them but rehabilitates them. I truly believe in all the goodness this small organization does. More good work can be accomplished if they win this prize. Here is the link: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1227836
The contest ends on the 22nd. Please take a moment and vote.

So tonight it's about being quiet, enjoying my girls and hoping that in a very very small way I can help some animals have the life mine have.

Hugs!

Bridget

Didn't quite finish...

2010-01-16T19:23:00.001-08:00

I went to work with very high expectations as usual of finishing my project. (I'm definitely a hurry up and get it done girl.) I probably still have a half day worth of work to do to complete my project. What's my project? Tax organizers. Woot. Woot. No groaning allowed. I chatted with my Mom on the cell phone for a bit. I have a blue tooth thingie that goes in your ear. However I hate it. My ear's too small and it falls off. So I invented my own "hands free" device that comes in the loveliest shade of cranberry. It's a chenille scarf my Mom knitted. The phone sits nicely on top of my shoulder cradled in the scarf as I chat. There are no crazy neck twists involved. Inspiring, huh?... well at least as I work at my desk. I also listened to the radio on the internet. I love 70's music. And of course they were playing some old songs I love. But there wasn't any singing no matter how much I wanted to sing out with The Steve Miller Band song "Fly Like an Eagle". I would never sing in the office as as we have a back door that's too far away to hear open. Luckily singing in the car is allowed because nobody can hear and did you know the rule that you are invisible when you sing? Just not at stop signs. My rules. he.he.he.

This next week up is a big week! On Monday we have two new employees starting. The small firm I work for will be taking us all out to lunch that day kind of as a Welcome (!) and to celebrate the beginning of the season! I got to pick the restaurant. I'm hoping they still have a crab louie on the menu. There are three birthdays this week: my Dad, a niece and my youngest nephew. Wednesday is my local art night with the ladies. My parents arrive Thursday to attend another niece's wedding on Friday. Saturday I'll be hanging out with my little brother, his family and my parents. I can't wait!! The entire week should be fun!

Tomorrow is my Dad's 76th birthday. As soon as I typed "my" I could just imagine my little brother, Bill groan a bit. Ok. Yeah.. He's not only my Dad. He's a Dad to five of us. We are SO lucky he's our Dad.

Happy Birthday Dad! Love you!! PS I will be calling and singing to you. Have your ear plugs ready. he.he.he.

Oh!! Almost forgot! I LOVE "Project Runway"!! Do you watch it? If you do.. Did you think that there was less time to look at the dresses on the runway than before? It seemed really rushed. It looks like a really fun new season! Lots of personalities which will also make it fun. Do you have a favorite yet? I don't. It's too soon for me.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Hugs!

Bridget

Do you have a rock?

2010-01-13T21:48:00.001-08:00

Me and my Gram, circa 1998. I love this picture because my Gram's in it. I can tell by looking at it that it was taken on a Sunday morning right before my three hour drive home. How can I tell this? My Gram's missing her "instant mocha" lipstick. And I'm Ala bare faced looking like I'm just waking up. Oh good times. I love pictures!!!

Anyway...I'm sure you are asking yourself... Just what does she mean asking about having a rock? Maybe I should ask who is your rock? I use the word "rock" to describe somebody awfully special in my life that is strong, never falters and has always been there for me. I guess it's somebody that loves you just as you are and believes in you more than anybody... even yourself.

I've known two such people in my life time. My Mom whom you will come to learn I love and adore more than words. The other is my Mom's Mother, my Gram. My Gram has been gone now for six years now. If I have a bad week or something happens as they do from time to time.. I tell my Mom (who lives in Arizona) that I wish I could just drive up to the foothills to Gram's like I use to. Everything that seemed like a huge drama or a unsolvable problem would seem to disappear just by being around her. I would go home feeling confident about solving the issue and no matter what I decided it would be ok.

Tonight I'm missing her. I don't have any reason other than missing her. Apologies for being so melancholy.

So who's your rock?

Hugs!

Bridget

PS I wasn't the only grandchild.. so the "my Gram" is strictly me talking. My brother can't stand when I say "my Mom". But I do it anyway... :o)

PSS Mom, this is my pic and nobody will use it. So don't get angry with me.

Gifts we give to ourselves

2010-01-12T20:02:00.000-08:00

I am writing about friendship because I received the smallest note via email tonight. It wasn't so much what the note said. But the thought that was behind it. This little note touched my heart.

I've read that "Friends are gifts you give yourself." I wish I knew who said that. It's a wonderful quote. I believe it to be true. I also believe that it's pretty telling who a person is by who their friends are.

My closest friends are my Mom, my sister Stephanie and Deb, my best friend since second grade. I also have a long time friend Mary that lives in Modesto. Mary and I have been friends since we were barely teenagers. These friends know completely know who I am and there are no secrets. Some friendships are old and dear.

I have a few newer friends that have only known me as a married adult. Alison, Molly and Vicki are from my art group. Some friendships are not so old and also dear.

I have other friends I've only met on the web (mostly flickr) from all over the world. We've partipated in art swaps, and communicate on flickr, facebook, blogs or via email. Truly I consider Mary Ann, Jo, Rhonda, Anastasia, Natasha, Donna, Alisa, Beth, Jane, Jen, Nerissa, Lia, Terri, and Nancy Gail my friends though we've never met face to face. Some friendships are not made in person but not any less dear.

No matter how old, new or how the friendship is formed, a friend IS a gift we give ourselves. And these are the kind of gifts we cherish the most.

Hugs.

Bridget

Image credit: JoAnne/aka Takeabreak on flickr. Many thanks!

500 Days of Summer

2010-01-10T00:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight I watched "500 Days of Summer". It's not a love story. The narrator even tells you that at the beginning. I can't stop thinking about it. Did I like it? Not too much. There were a few funny parts. But mostly the movie flips back and forth between when the character falling head over heels in love and the agony of their heart breaking. My heart aches for this character that didn't see beyond how he was feeling to notice that the one he loved didn't really care that much about him. I won't watch this again. Nor could I recommend it. The acting is good. Really good. But the truth of the matter is I'm a "happily ever after" girl.

It's 1:06am. Yes I'm slowly moving away from my own time zone. It's a slow process. I love how quiet it is at night. The only thing I hear is the hum of the twenty gallon fish tank with only one fish in it. This fish is nine years old. I had no idea fish could live so long.

Monday I'll be at an all day tax meeting. I mentioned it on facebook that I wanted to talk some people into doing the WaVe every time a speaker said the word "tax". I was kidding. However I'm sure every time they do say the word I'll probably smile to myself. I really like and appreciate that I'm included on this tax update course. However I'm not too hip to being packed in like sardines as I'm a little claustrophobic. Luckily my co-worker is going early to have their breakfast. So I'll be able to sit on an end. Thank goodness.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

2010-01-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Morning,

Thank goodness it's Thursday almost Friday. Resetting my internal clock is terribly hard. I'm hoping I'll remember this the next time I have a lot of time off. But I kind of doubt it. he.he.

I finished reading the "Twenties Girl" by Sophie Kinsella last night. What a really fun read!

I've signed up for two art swaps. One is an Itty Bitty Book with the theme "What's your favorite color". So the end result will look like a rainbow book. Kind of cute. The other is a tag book with a Valentine's theme. Should be fun. I'm hoping that this weekend besides a couple chores it will be an art weekend. My fingers are crossed.

Have a great day!

Hugs!

Bridget

Happy Tuesday!

2010-01-05T07:51:00.001-08:00

Oh boy.. today is going to be quite a day. I'm dragging and it's only Tuesday. I'm still on "Bridget time". And that time zone just doesn't work for work days. But two full weeks of bedtime at 2:30 - 3 a.m. in the morning is catching up with me this week. How I wish I could turn into a pumpkin like my sister does nightly at 9 p.m. But realistically I'll hope for midnight.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I think one more cup of General Foods Vanilla Latte might do the trick.

Have a good day!

Hugs!

Bridget

(Vintage postcard credit: JoAnne/Takeabreak on Flickr. Thank you!)

Monday. Monday...

2010-01-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

No, I promise not to sing. I'd surely scare you away. Well that is of course if you aren't my sister. That's a bit of an inside joke I will share. Neither my sister or I have a lovely singing voice. Though we always pretend we do.

Today is my first day back to work in just over two weeks. In a way it reminds me of going back to school after the Christmas holiday break. Will I wear one of my new sweaters today? Or save them for another time? Will I talk my poor co-workers ear off today? Probably so. Apologies in advance, Cynthia.

I'm so excited for this New Year! I'm excited for tax season to start! I can just imagine hearing all of you groaning at that last statement. But I really really (!) enjoy it. I love seeing "my" clients as I call them and catching up with all the things going on with their lives.

So here's to a great first Monday of the year!

Hugs!

Bridget

PS Stephanie, I really do love that you sing like me.

Reading & Books.

2010-01-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

While we were visiting in Arizona my Mom gave me one of my old report cards. I pulled it out of the envelope to see what year it was and of course how I was graded. It was from my second grade year. It read that I was being held back in the second grade. It didn't say why. But I knew why. I could not read. My family moved to our new home a cross town towards the end of my second grade year. At first when I read the card it brought it all back. I briefly felt like a child again. The emotion of being ashamed quickly flashed inside of me. My "new" teacher tried to talk my parents into moving me forward so that I wouldn't be hurt socially. My parents said no. I needed to learn how to read before moving on to the next grade. I remember my parents talking with me about it at the kitchen table in our old house. My Mom remembered how the teacher was truly angry with her and my Dad out of concern for me. My brief moment of how I felt as a child was very quickly replaced by the overwhelmingly thankfulness that my parents cared enough to make me stay back a grade and learn how to read. I cannot imagine not knowing how to read. I love to read. Even my best friend Deb from my second, second grade class loves to read too.

Reading is a huge passion of mine, as well as books. I love books... almost too much. If I go to a grocery store or drug store I never pass up the book section. One has to keep up with what's been newly released. he.he.he. An actual book store is a very dangerous place for me to visit. And please do not even get me started with Amazon. Scary dangerous. Thank goodness for "wish lists". I do a lot of wishing there.

This last year I finally started using a little blue card a lot more. No I don't have a Tiffany's credit card. It's my library card. I love (!) that the library has their catalog online and you can request any book. So this is my year to lighten up "my library" of sorts. I now have three brown bags sitting next to the front door to bring to the library. I have to wait until this next week as my library has been closed for the holidays due the budget problems my state is having.

Earlier this morning I updated my Shelfari (see the lower left side bar of my blog for my shelf) to help me keep track of what I'm reading and what I've read. I started two new books last night. I started reading Sophie Kinsella's "Twenties Girl" and "Life is a Verb" by Patti Digh. Both authors tell a really good story. I have two others that were started a few weeks before Christmas. I'm struggling a bit to finish them and really don't want to just stick them back on the bookshelf especially when the books I don't love are being relocated to the library. Not to mention it bothers me if I don't finish a book I start. Even if I'm not liking the story.

Do you finish every book you start?

Hugs!

Bridget

A New Year...

2010-01-02T22:14:00.001-08:00

I hope that your New Year started out good! We ended up watching "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian". It was cute. I loved the Degas ballerina dancing around. Not to mention Amy Adams playing Amelia Earhart. I love a fun movie.

I did make a few New Years Resolutions:

1. Try to finish projects I've started. I'm such an enthusiastic starter and as a project comes slowly to an end... truthfully I either lose patience (as I have very little I must admit) or grow extremely tired of how long it's taking to get completed.

2. Only keeping books that I love instead of all of them, after I've finished reading them. I've already started bagging up books to donate to our local library.

3. Try really hard to get organized.

4. Get healthy. I think I need to start walking a little more. As do my "fluffy" girls, Izzy and Ellie. I also need to find a doctor. This is where I own up to not having a doctor for the last two years as we have different insurance coverage. I really liked my old doctors. I guess I was just hoping something would happen and we could get the old insurance carrier back. I guess I'll stop dreaming.

5. Do more art. I've had 12"x12"x1" blank canvas's for a while. I know what I want to do with them. I want to enlarge some old family photos I love and transfer on them. What's the hold up? Too many options. Do I want to paint the canvas first? Or add some kind of paper element to the canvas? Do I need to seal it first? Or should I just do a transfer onto the canvas and go from there? Though truthfully my main worry is messing up. I know nobody would know but me.. but could I reuse the canvas? Won't it stretch? Any suggestions?

6. Be a better blogger.

Ok.. I think that's enough. I'm hoping that by writing this on my blog it kind of makes it more real ... a true commitment. In any case.. I hope this is a good year for everybody.

Hugs!

Bridget

PS Thanks to Suzee Que of Flickr for this New Years postcard.

Christmas

2009-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

We spent the week before Christmas down in Arizona at my parents house. We rented a car and did the long (15hr) drive as the girls went with us. Christmas with my parents was the only thing I wanted for Christmas. I was so happy to see them. The last time I we visited was in April for a mini trip. So this visit as far as I was concerned was long over due.

Christmas was nice and quiet. Since we don't have children I tend to spoil my parents a bit on Christmas. We bought them a Wii. Thankfully they both seem to enjoy it. Especially the bowling! Mom bowled a 159 on her first game. I know it's silly to share that. But my family with the exception of me have always been big bowlers and on leagues prior to them moving down to Arizona. If you're wondering about why I was never on a league... I never took the game seriously and would Woo-hoo (!) for gutter balls. Or even worse the ball would fall off my hand and roll the wrong way towards the seating area. he.he.he. I think my brother Bill was very thankful that I wasn't on a team, especially with him.

Anyway Mom baked one batch of chocolate chip cookies. She also made some fudge. There certainly wasn't any lack of goodies to eat. Dinners were just as tasty. Why is it nothing tastes as good as your Mom's cooking? I guess I shouldn't question it. Just enjoy it when I can.

While Mom and I were out shopping one day we found Zhu Zhu pets for regular price. I had read about them on the news how they were "the toy" to have this year. When I read the article originally in November Amazon had some starting at $54 each. Ouchie! Suddenly my idea to pick a couple up for my two younger nephews and niece kind of flew out the door. So when we saw them for $9.99 each. with a limit of two per customer one word came to mind, "SCORE!" I bought two and had my Mom buy the third. Later Mom decided she liked the little pink and white Zhu Zhu. I wondered if the store had any left. If they did I'd buy another and give Mom the one she liked. "SCORE!!" again!!!! All four Zhu Zhu's were hits. Later I found out the my next to youngest nephew had been wanting a hamster. So this worked out perfectly.... well I think at least for my brother and his wife. No food to buy and no clean up.

I've had this week off. I had the most grandiose ideas of what to do this week. I did return a couple things I bought from Target on Tuesday. I thought it might be a bit quiet at 2pm. Nope. Not a chance. After I did some grocery shopping and came home.

Today has been pretty quiet. I've been reading quite a bit. I love the gas fireplace on and curling up with a good book. What really ends up happening is that I sit on the couch with my legs covered and then I get some company (the girls) that kind of pushes me out of the way. I really don't mind. I can't imagine reading without one or two dogs snoring any way.

Well today is New Years Eve. We're home and again it's nice and quiet. I think we'll probably watch a movie or I'll read some more. I hope your holiday is a happy and safe one!

Hugs!

PS Now off to think of some resolutions. Did you make any?

Learning how to make my Mom's Fudge with my Sister

2009-12-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

I should start by telling you that my Mom was one of six children. Every year at Christmas time my Mom would make a special holiday box full of cookies and fudge for her siblings and their families. I can remember the cookies being made and cooling on the island around the stove (a big C shape) and the other counter top (which was a backwards L shape). You could not see any avocado green counter top at all. Just what seemed like miles of cookies that I would help Mom bake and of course sample.

I don't remember my Mom making batches upon batches of fudge. I am guessing because I didn't help. Unless you count licking the spoon or fighting with my little brother for the pan afterwards. No, I guess that's not helping. My sister Stephanie remembers all the fudge. Probably because she was helping or wanted to learn how.

It's been probably ten years since I last tried to make fudge. I tried to make fudge twice. Each time it was a non-edible chocolate glob. It looked awful and both batches were fed to the garbage disposal. It was harder than I thought.

So yesterday was my first official "how to chocolate fudge" lesson from my Steph who lives a lot closer than my parents that now live in Arizona. I crossed my fingers it would be edible as I'm giving it away to my neighbors along with some cookies. Bet you are glad you aren't my neighbor! he.he.he.

Anyway we tried the Fudge recipe that is listed on the back of the Kraft marshmallow jar two different ways. First the recipe just to read Nestles Semi Sweet Morsels and now it reads Bakers chocolate. We used Nestles because that's what my Mom did. The recipe calls for 1-1/2 cubes of parkay butter. The first batch we used unsalted butter. After it was made and poured in the pan to harden. We tried the spoon and pan. I told Steph I don't think I like fudge anymore. It tastes different. Steph thought so too. The taste and the texture were wrong. .. well at least to us. Steph would bring her batch to work to share with her co-workers. Then we tried the recipe with the parkay. Then did the taste test again with the spoon and pan. I said... oh yeah. This is more like how I remembered it should taste. So the fudge turned out edible. We did take a small sample before I went home. Yep it's good. Good enough to share.

After completing the two batches of fudge I realized why I don't make it. I'm too impatient.Which isn't a great surprise. I've always told my Mom patience wasn't a virtue I owned. Anyway I think the prior batches that went down the garbage disposal didn't get cooked long enough hence a nasty glob. Will I make it again? Probably two more batches to fill my special holiday boxes. But I think I prefer to remain the tester of the fudge and bake cookies.

Voila!

P.S. Sill, if you want some of this fudge you better let me know. hugs.

New words

2009-12-06T00:15:00.001-08:00

New words I learned while I was a way from my blog

1. radiator
2. thermostat
3. timing belt
4. water pump
5. taxi
6. thankfulness

Yes.. The first five words were painful but they are just parts and an extremely expensive three mile ride to work. Money can buy them and they can be replaced. But my thankfulness cannot.

To my little brother Bill that stands an entire foot taller than me... Thank you so much Sill for always being there for me. I love you for that.. but I love you more for being my brother.

To my co-worker Cynthia.. Thank you so much for picking me up those couple days and taking me to work. It was most kind.

Hugs!
Bridge

Car = Fret. Fret. Fret & No Art Night.

2009-09-05T01:34:00.000-07:00

I hope everybody had a happy holiday weekend! Mine started out on a really good note! Thanks to my little brother. I was having major car issues this last week. I am happy to share that the repair has been made. Thank goodness for little brothers! I don't know how most women feel about car problems. But it causes me a great deal of stress. I fret and fret. I worry: Will the problem be found? How much will the part cost? If my brother can't fix it how do I know I won't be taken advantage of because of my car repair ignorance? Or because I'm a woman. My old mechanic that is a good half hour south of me. Of course that's IF there isn't any traffic. But if you won't drive it locally, why would I take it on the highway? My head just won't turn off. Wouldn't you like a little light switch type of thing for stressful times? Fretting is truly a waste of good energy.

Anyway.. Early last week I heard some metal against metal noises. Not one of my favorite sounds. Especially when it's coming from the car. My brother pulled off the front tires on Monday and checked out the breaks as my brother decided it had to be the brakes. I thought I was hearing the noise on the front drivers side area. The brakes were fine. The car stopped making the noise. Why does that happen? I hear it. My Mom could hear it on the cell phone. But not my brother.

However the noise was back with a vengence on Wednesday morning. I work three miles from home and usually drive home at lunch to let the girls out. Not this last Wednesday. The metal against metal noise was getting louder and it really frightened me on my drive into work. If I drove it home would I make it back to work? My brother stopped my job after he finished for the day. We circled the work parking lot several times. Never did he hear what I was hearing. I was upset as I knew what I heard earlier. Truly I thought I was going to have to purchase a new car. I'm not ready for that yet. And to be forced to make that kind of decision is awful. Who likes to be forced to do anything? Especially make a major purchase? So the plan was to stay close to home. Get the oil changed on Friday morning. Then later Friday night my brother would look closer at the car. He pulled off the back two tires and then the round part that holds the tires with the bolts attached to check out the brakes. (I don't know the technical part name. But I bet you can picture what I'm describing.) He saw the problem immediately. Pulled it out and handed it to me. There was this little bent up piece of metal the size of a quarter that should have been very flat piece of metal about 3 inches long. He said I was very lucky to find this piece to repair. Without this little piece of metal that controls the back left brakes it could have been dangerous. Any how after three auto parts stores all the parts were found. Then fixed in less than 10 minutes. Then I called for Chinese take out. My brother and I love Chinese food. A very nice to end a crazy car week. The cherry on top was spending time with my niece and two nephews.

I did miss my local art night with my group this last Wednesday night. My piece that I worked on the night before turned out better than I imagined. I can't post a picture of it as we agreed to wait to see all projects at the end. Our projects are some kind of box that has paper inside measured to fit inside the box for the other artists to use. The overall theme is "decades".

The decade I just worked on was the 1940's. For my subject I choose Pearl Harbor. I found out that there's a lot of various information out there on the web. That there isn't one set of facts on how many ships were hit or as I found out listed as "sunk" when in actuality (I just looked at this word as the more I said it out loud the more it seemed like I made it up. But I didn't.) only one sunk which was the USS Arizona and the other capsized which was the USS Oklahoma. Then later the USS Oklahoma had too much damage done to her to repair and later sank on the way to the scrap yard. I don't know why I was so surprised that there was so much conflicting data on the numbers. But after reading and reading I believe the number was eight. I also wondered why so many (1177) men were lost on the Arizona. I found out it was because the forward magazine was hit and it sealed the hatch of the ship. Also that despite the appearance of a success of Pearl Harbor it was determined that the strategy was flawed as oil tanks near Pearl Harbor were ignored and the the carrier ships that were more relied upon would be not be there to distroy. Please note: I read everything on the net. I do not proclaimed to be an authority by any means. Just sharing a little about what I read.

So anyway.. I missed my group meeting, the ladies and our pixie member Miss Kennedy whom is almost 7mos old. Now to call around and find out who needs to get the project box I have before the next meeting. Probably Friday when I'm off.

Well as I close this post I realize it's Wednesday. So I missed something special to share. I'll make up for it next week by sharing two wonderful people and/or blogs.

Something Special to Share on Wednesdays

2009-09-01T23:54:00.000-07:00

I've decided that Wednesdays will be about somebody or something that I think is truly too good not to share with others.

Today it's about Corey Amaro. Corey's blog is one of my favorite blogs I follow daily. It's called "Tongue in Cheek". http://willows95988.typepad.com/ What I can tell you about Corey is that she's lovely inside and out, a native Californian that is real and quite down to earth. She has a handsome french husband whom she refers to as the "FH" and two teenagers. When you read this blog you will find that Corey shares her wonderful sense of humor and gentle spirit with you as well as her family, friends, adventures, and her beautiful photographs.

Did you ever think you could to see the world from your monitor? Truly. Check out her adventure on "Willow" the BMW.

Need some inspiration from a very wise woman? Read about Corey's friend Annie.

Corey once shared a very funny story on her blog that I could relate to. Though I'm not so sure most people could. Here is my readers digest version. But please go and read her story. I don't do it justice. Corey babysat a little girl around 3yrs old. This little girl could not say Corey's name. Instead it was Caw-Caw, kind of like what a crow says. Though it's probably not the first thing that comes to mind. As soon as I read her story I knew I had to share mine with her and now you. Like Corey, years ago a niece of mine could not pronounce my name. I was "Burge" instead of Bridge. And sometimes "Bird s#$t" for Bridget. Yes. It's true. At 13 years old I was absolutely horrified! Now it just makes me laugh.

Check out Corey's blog and take a trip to France via the web! Enjoy! (This is were I wish I knew some french words besides Bon Appetite! or Je'Taime. Bon Blog seems so inadequate.)

PS I can't wait until I can link a name with the website directly. Slow learning curve. Haven't yet picked up my blogging book. Though I have a good excuse. It's the night before my local art group meeting. I had to do my project. Yes... I know. I'm a last minute Lulu girl.

And with a little fairy dust....

2009-08-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

Voila!

A quick but sincere thanks to the Graphics Fairy (http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/) for the background and the heading graphics. She even had directions on how to add them to your blog. Oh my goodness! My blog looks so beautiful now! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Graphics Fairy!!!

I guess as a new blogger that hasn't read her Tara Frey book "Blogging for Bliss" as of yet and too much Jane Austen adding my name to my header should have been simple simon so to speak. But oh no. Not me. Why make things easy when they can be harder? I guess to laugh at myself afterwards. Yes I believe The Blogging for Bliss will be required reading this week.

Here is Tara Frey's book on Amazon if anybody hasn't seen it yet. http://www.amazon.com/Blogging-Bliss-Crafting-Crafters-Creatives/dp/1600595111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251698620&sr=8-1

I hope to post on a more regular basis. I do have a post saved. I truly never run out of things to talk about no matter the importance. But I'm worried that I always sound so serious. Thank goodness I have a little brother that keeps me in line. I will end this post with a silly story of just that.

The other day this "Bucket List" quiz type of thing went around. I filled it out and forwarded it on. One of the questions was "Whom do you admire the most?". I typed I admire my Family and my Friends as I believe they are all so loving and kind-hearted. Then thanked them. Or something like that. Later the next day my little brother emails me his "Bucket List" quiz. Right next to the who do you admire most question reads "Ok, Bridge we aren't competing in a Miss America contest." This might not seem funny to most. But it did to me. I could not stop laughing. It still makes me laugh. I promptly rang my brother up on his cell phone and replied in my most pretend "Miss Congeniality" choking up voice... "And I really do want world peace!" and explained that I was waiving my hand in front of my eyes so my mascara wouldn't run. Then we laughed together.

Thank goodness for the Graphics Fairy and my little brother. I appreciate you both.

PS I am waiving my royal waive without my tiara to you Sill.

The real Callieflowergirl

2009-08-13T16:01:00.001-07:00

Hello,

I made a fun discovery today. I found some old three inch floppies but had no idea what was on them. Thankfully (or maybe not so thankfully sometimes) I have an old computer at work that has floppy access. Well I found some old pictures of my Callie the real Callieflowergirl.

Callie was a birthday present from my sister, Stephanie as her Momma dog Patsy Cline (nickname) had puppies on my birthday. At first I didn't want her as I just got another puppy and thought it would be too much. I was wrong. Two puppies are much easier than one. Callie turned out to be my absolute BEST present I ever received. Callie lived almost eleven years. All which brought me so much love and happiness. As I look at these photos I almost can't believe she's been gone almost three years now.

So where did the Callieflowergirl come from? Well it was one of her many nicknames. In my family everybody has a few nicknames. I guess once you do you know you are loved. Not really but we all seem to have at least two or three. And I'm number four in a family with five kids. So anyway.. Callie was Callieflowergirl, Callie-whompis, Callie-fornia, and (this last one will surely embarass me) Callie-Gigi-Poochie-Pie. Yes. This dog was really loved! Bet you could not tell.

Callie went every where with me. I'm sure she thought she was a person as she did most all of the same things I did: Go go bed at the same time. Wait for me to wake up. Have breakfast together. She would sit down in front of her dog bowl waiting for me to say "Bon Appetite!". Commute to Sausalito and work. Oh no.. she didn't work. She would take naps under my employers desk. Did he know that she was there? Oh yes. The boss bought dog treats for her. Did the clients know her? Oh yes. Callie even had toys that were left at work for her to play with. At the end of the day meaning 5pm she would go lay by the door. Pretty subtle, huh?! Yes Callie was so very special.

Do these pictures make me meloncholy to look at? Yes. It makes me miss her more. Am I happy to have found them? Oh YES! Thanks for letting me share my Callie with you. Now I'm going to run home and love on my girls a bit more than ususal.

Bridget

PS My girls Izzy (aka Izzy Bizzy or Sobel) and Ellie (aka Ellie Belly Button or Bebbie) also have lots of nicknames too. So not to worry they too are well loved. They don't get to go to work. But I do get to go home for lunch these days to let them out and spend more time with them.

Post #1 - Old Photos

2009-08-07T00:34:00.000-07:00

August 8, 2009

Hello Blog land!

I've decided not to wait for my new "Blogging for Bliss" book by Tara Frey to make my first post. So my blog is a bit plain and ugly for now. But I'm sure as soon as I receive that book in the mail, things will turn around fast! At least I hope.

One of my reasons I wanted to post tonight was because I was reading about old photos with missing families. I belong to Flickr where there are lots of old photos. I posted a comment on a group site I belong to asking if anybody else wondered if anybody ever recognized any family members in photos that are posted. The post only received a couple responses. One did wonder. The second didn't. But both posts had one thing in common. Sadness. They were both sad that the old photos had lost their families. One of the two posts even mentioned that she herself had old photos of family members and didn't know who they were. Even went so far to wonder if later photos of her would be floating around too. Gracious. I had no idea how sad posting that question would make people feel. I love old photos! Especially family photos! I'm always very curious (and always have been) about them when I look at their faces, expressions, hair style, clothing and wonder what their story was.

My Mom also feels very strongly about family photos. Mom is the keeper of our old family photos and has made me promise not to post on them on the internet for this reason. So I respect her wishes. We have photos that go back six generations and fill a box the size of a case of computer paper. I consider us to be MOST fortunate as we do know who all the family members in the photos are and even know some stories about them. I cannot tell you how glad and relieved I am that I took such an interest in the old photos at such a young age (pre-teens) when I had such a wonderful resource that we no longer have: My Gram.

I think I might have drove my Gram a bit crazy by asking to take her box of pictures out every single time I was there to visit. We lived about three hours away from her home in the foothills of California. I stayed at my Gram's every Easter break and a few weeks every summer from the third grade on through high school. I love these pictures. I love seeing the faces that go with the stories Gram would tell. Now since my Mom has the pictures I now ask her to bring out the old photos and look through them. Thankfully she does it just as my Gram did and we lovingly look at all our old family photos.

Bridget

PS Mom, if you are reading this I would love, Love, LOVE (!) if you could figure out how to get these photos connected with your family tree program. I think if this was done we would never lose the connection of how that person is related to us.