Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Holidays’

WHY Do I See Red?

Posted in Fab Fotos, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on February 12, 2011| 2 Comments »

Because it’s almost Valentine’s Day and what could be more appropriate than the RED the universal color for a heart!  Not to mention that February is American Heart Month so for the next couple of weeks, you can expect RED to be popping up here and there.

FAB FOTO FRIDAY

new york city melting pot, Asian boy,

All Wrapped Up in RED love

Photo by Murray Head

Salvation army singer, New York city, Christmas in New York

Singing for Salvation

Photo by Murray Head

 

red berries, bird in Central Park

Berry Good

 

photo by Murray Head

bleached blonde, black dress, red lipstick

Red is the Color of My True Love's Lips

photo by Murray Head

 

cardinal, sparrows, Central Park,winter birds

Standing Out in the Crowd

Photo by Murray Head

 



Read Full Post »

MONDAY is a Six Letter Word

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged , , , , , , , on January 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Statue of Hemingway by José Villa Soberón, El ...

Image via Wikipedia

It’s a new year full of resolutions, expectations and I hope a new wave of participation from my readers in the weekly Six Word Memoir challenge.  I’m very pleased to have a few faithful contributors and would welcome many more!!!

Think about your life in general, your dreams, wishes, past mistakes and best achievements.  Can you distill your thoughts into just six words, no more, no less.  Channel your Ernest Hemingway and see what happens.

Very grateful for so many things – Gail

Osterperose -Spread the word-FORTEO works – Heide

Well, let’s hope for the best – Weez

Cancer is not contagious, fear is – Me

And from the “book”:

College was fun, Damn student loans – Randy Boland

Semicolons; I use them to excess – Iris Page

God chose, Said no. Now what? – Adam Blackman

Time heals all wounds, not quite – Jonathan Miles

ONE LIFE – SIX WORDS – WHAT’S YOURS?

Read Full Post »

Six Word Memoir Monday – One Day Late

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged , , , , on January 4, 2011| 4 Comments »

New year - which direction?

NEW YEAR - Which Direction?

Not a great way to kick off the New Year of blogging by being one day late with my Monday blog.   Well I guess today is going to be catch-up day, first this blog, then I have to come up with something tasty for Tasty Tidbits Tuesday.   I also have to be available for Verizon to install service in my daughter’s new apartment, put a ginormous bag of photos and stuff in some order, put away some Christmas stuff that has been washed and finish two very belated Christmas gifts – have the Kings come yet?

New Year, new diet, less fat – Susan Celtic Lady

41 and running out of gas – Weez

Soon snow will be a memory – Gail

90 years, putting me to shame – Heide

Time to revise my 50 goals! – Me

And now a few from the book, Not Quite What I Was Planning – Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure:

Never should have bought that ring – Paul Bellows

Sold Belongings. Became Itinerant Poetry Librarian – Sara Wingate Gray

Tombstone won’t say “had health insurance” – Dean Haspiel

Stranded by ten-thousand -mile crush – Will Cockrell

Wasted time regretted so life reinvented – Vicky Oppus


Read Full Post »

Make New Friends, Keep the Old, One is Silver and the Other is Gold

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged , , , , , , on January 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Founder of the Republic of Turkey Mustafa Kema...

Image via Wikipedia

In true New Year’s Eve tradition, my husband and I went to a local restaurant/coffee shop (The Mansion) which was hosting a private party for their regular customers.  This was the first year we were around to go and it was just delightful.  The counters were laden with crackers and cheese, smoked salmon, salad and deli meats and as promised in the invitation an endless supply of cheeseburgers and pigs in a blanket were passed among the guests.  AND the champagne flowed and flowed and flowed.

The invitation indicated it was “Black Tie” and we decided we would definitely dress accordingly.  I wish I had insisted on taking his picture before we left the house because Peter was quite the dandy in his White Tie and Tails.  YES he did wear “tails”; a beautiful custom-made tail coat from 1947 with a white vest and white tie and black patent leather shoes!   I was a little creative in my outfit, donning black pants and black camisole with one of Peter’s white bow ties around my neck and I wore a shawl-collared tuxedo jacket.  When we sat down at our table, there were black Fedora hats for the men and silver and black tiaras for the women as well as horns and noise-makers.  The whole place looked great!

We planned on attending this gala event with our old friend, Cary; he and Peter have been friends for about 40 years!  We arrived first and secured a nice booth in the front room, first glass of champagne in hand.  Shortly after we sat down, I noticed a young woman sitting at a nearby table by herself.  At first I thought perhaps she was waiting for someone to join her but on second thought since she was already eating, it occurred to me she might be alone.  So I suggested to Peter that he ask her to join us – not my usual style and very spontaneous.  And Catherine happily accepted our invitation.  One of the comforting aspects of the evening was  most likely the party-goers would be neighbors of ours, since this is a local diner.

Catherine proved to be an enchanting addition to our table and Peter and Cary enjoyed regaling her with stories.  We soon found out that her parents were expected to arrive any moment and that they lived two doors down from us!  Catherine had a previously made plan to join a friend for the rest of the evening but we soon dissuaded her from that idea – she should stay with us!

Eileen (sp?) and Frank, Catherine’s parents arrived and joined us and it quickly became the more the merrier. The ‘thing” about The Mansion and more specifically Phil and John is that the welcoming atmosphere encourages neighbors to meet and talk with one another.  Before the evening ended, we were sure that we had found neighbors who we would welcome meeting again.  Cary is a singer and entertainer and performs weekly at The Triad theater and what better way to extend the conviviality of the evening by other than making a plan for all of us to attend his show.  The plan is tentative at this point but I  am hoping we can all go in mid-January while my son, Joel is visiting.

A long and winding tale I know, to get to the crux of the story and title of the blog, however, I do believe New Year’ s Eve  is  the best night of the year to ring out the old and ring in the new  with old gold and new silver friends.

Read Full Post »

Thursday’s Top Ten Things To Do When You’re Snowed In!

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Smooth or Crunchy, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged , , , , , on December 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Current title card

Image via Wikipedia

The Blizzard of 2010 arrived as predicted (so we can’t say we didn’t know it was coming) and in less than 3 hours our world was blanketed in a white powdery mantle.  Oh it looked so pretty coming down in big flakes.  And I noticed how quickly it was accumulating and decided to chronicle the snow storm – see previous blogs beginning with: Chronicle of a Snow Storm  .

Taking pictures from the front door or the back door only took a few moments so uh now, what do I do?  The photos in the Chronicle blogs tell the story of how white your world can be when 28″ – 30″ of snow fall in 24 hours but what was going on inside the house.  Well when you are house-bound for four days, you gotta do something!!  It was definitely easier for me than my husband, basically because I always do more things AND I have my computer.

  1. Playing on my computer has to be number one because I was on it a LOT every day;  I played  Scrabble with my Facebook friends, checked email, wrote blogs, cruised through Ebay and read other blogs.
  2. Nothing like daylight and the reflection of bright snow to show you where all the finger prints on doors and drawers are.  I spent some of each of the four days with Simple Green in one hand and paper towels in the other.
  3. Paid a lot of bills online.  Actually wrote out a couple of checks but couldn’t mail them!
  4. Because I was sleeping later and really had no where to go, I made breakfast for my husband. Yeah, really, bacon and eggs and coffee and an English muffin.
  5. Watched Dr. Phil and Judge Judy every afternoon – love them both!
  6. Ate Christmas dinner left-overs.  We had dinners of soup, stuffed shells, salad and broccoli. And dessert every night!!!
  7. Started to put away some of the Christmas decorations;  I would have done much more except that we couldn’t get to the garage to retrieve the bins.  But I did get to the back of the closet and organize a couple of boxes.
  8. Wrapped each piece of the Christmas china and packed in the one bin I had in the house.
  9. Knitted – I am way behind on a project, a gift for my new granddaughter, Francesca.
  10. Cut up the newspapers I needed for another little project.  Couldn’t seem to get beyond that part though.

Read Full Post »

Six Word Memoir Monday

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged , , , , , , on December 27, 2010| 3 Comments »

Ernest Hemingway's 1923 passport photo
Image via Wikipedia

Blame it on the snow storm (we’ll be using this excuse for at least another week), that’s why this blog is so late.  I only received  three responses this week (blame it on the holidays) and I am pleased to share them with everyone.

Lucky me, my own Peter Pan – Heide

Happy New Year to the Memoiristas! -Gail

Need a better back up plan – Weez

Christmas at last; warm,cozy memories! – Susan Celtic Lady

It’s the drifts that get you.-Me

I know another holiday is coming up and that means a little more time off sooooo won’t you please put on your Ernest Hemingway caps and with the advent of the New Year, commit to summing up this life we lead in just six words, no more, no less.

Happy New Year!!



Read Full Post »

Bits and Pieces of Christmas

Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, Ha-P 2 B in OG, tagged , , , , , , on December 26, 2010| 3 Comments »

Previously I tried to capture some of my Christmas decor in the cottage, but I don’t think the photos did justice to the look.   Murray was here for Christmas  dinner and he snapped a few “arty” pictures and I love them, so I’m sharing them!!

Bah Humbug doll, Ocean Grove, La Vie en Rose, Christmas morning

Bah Humbug

photo by Murray Head

Nativity scene, Prince of Egypt camel, La Vie en Rose, Ocean Grove

The Prince of Egypt's Camel

photo by Murray Head

Cinderella, Jacques, Christmas La Vie en Rose, christmas morning,

Jacques!

photo by Murray Head

vintage ornaments, greens, Christmas ornaments,Ocean Grove,LaVie en Rose

Vintage Christmas Ornaments

red napkins, reindeer napkin rings,Christmas dinner,

Reindeer At The Ready

Read Full Post »

Where Have All The Movies Gone??

Posted in BY THE WAY, From My Point of View - Personal commentary on Movies and Books, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on December 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Cover of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole...

Cover via Amazon

We all have our favorite Christmas holiday movie – we established that last week.  But when are they playing on TV and on what station?  This is as much a mystery as how do reindeer fly? In hopes of finding The Bishop’s Wife or Bells of  St Mary, I thought I would try to check the TV listings for the next couple of days and look at channels I don’t ordinarily watch – but then again we already know I am not in control of the remote so if it isn’t on TCM or MSNBC chances are I won’t see it.

An hour or so on the web and I’m not sure that A Christmas Story is showing on any channel other than TBS! Well for sure I didn’t find either of the two I mentioned above.  I do love It’s A Wonderful Life and if I don’t set an alarm on my blackberry for 8pm on Christmas Eve, I won’t get to see that also 😦

T’is the season for sharing so I’m posting your all-in-one-place Christmas movie TV guide – right here in my blog.

THURSDAY:

12:00 AM – Holiday in Your Heart – Lifetime

8:00 AM –  Once Upon A Christmas – ABCFH

9:15AM – Holiday Inn – AMC

10:00AM – Twice Upon A Christmas – ABCFH

1:51PM – The Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

4:30PM – Polar Express – ABCFH

6:00PM – Deck the Halls – Lifetime

6:30PM – The Santa Claus – ABCFH

8:00PM – Holiday Switch – Lifetime/Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas – ABC

10:00PM – An Accidental Christmas – Lifetime

FRIDAY:

12:00AM – Santa Jr. – Hallmark/Remember the Night – TCM

2:00AM – The Santa Suit – Hallmark/Meet Me in St. Louis – TCM

4:00AM –  Mrs. Scrooge – Hallmark/Bell, Book & Candle – TCM

6:00AM – Moonlight and Mistletoe – Hallmark

8:00AM – Santa Jr. – Hallmark/An Accidental Christmas – Lifetime

10:00AM – Miracle on 34th St. – AMC/A Christmas Proposal – Lifetime

11:00AM – Marry Me – Lifetime/The Flintstone’s Christmas – ACFH

12:00PM – Recipe for a Perfect Christmas -Lifetime/Pinnochio’s Christmas – ABCFH/Where God Left His Shoes -IFC

12:15PM – White Christmas – AMC

1:00PM – T’was the Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

1:30PM – Rudolph’s and Frosty’s Christmas in July – ABCFH

2:00PM – Holiday Switch – Lifetime

3:00PM – Miracle on 34th St – AMC

3:31PM – Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer + The Island of Misfit Toys – ABCFH

4:00Pm – The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Hallmark/The Road to Christmas –  Lifetime

5:00PM – A Christmas Wedding – Lifetime/

5:15PM – White Christmas – AMC

5:30Pm – T’was the Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

6:00PM – A Secret Santa – Lifetime/Jack Frost – ABCFH/Scrooge – TCM

7:00PM – Eve’s Christmas – Lifetime/Frosty’s Winter Wonderland – ABCFH

7:30PM – T’was the Night Before Christmas – ABCFH

8:00PM – Miracle on 34th St – AMC/Disney Prep & Landing – ABC/Battle of the Bulbs – Hallmark/It’s A Wonderful Life – NBC/The Bishop’s Wife – TCM

8:30PM – Phineas and Ferb’s Christmas Vacation – ABC

9:00PM – A Boyfriend for Christmas – Liftetime/The Year Without A Santa Claus – ABCFH/The Santa Claus – ABC

10:00PM – Eloise at Christmastime – Hallmark/Rudolph’s Shiny New Year – ABCFH/On Strike For Christmas – Lifetime

10:15Pm – White Christmas – AMC

SATURDAY:

12:00AM – Ernest Saves Christmas – ABCFH/ **

7:00AM – A Flintstone Christmas – ABCFH

8:00AM – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – ABCFH

9:00AM – A Christmas Carol (1938) – TMC/The Year Without A Santa Claus – ABCFH

10:00AM – Miracle on 34th St – ABCFH/Susan Slept Here – TCM

12:30PM – Santa Buddies – ABCFH

4:30PM –Home Alone 2 – ABCFH

7:00PM – Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas – ABCFH

8:00PM – A Christmas Carol (1984) – Fox/Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas – NBC

8:30Pm – Christmas Attack Zone – NBC

10:15Pm – Surviving Christmas – TBS

** Midnight till 8pm – A Christmas Story –  TBS/Scrooged – AMC

Since posting this blog I’ve found TCM’s Christmas schedule and Yay The Bishop’s Wife and others are now in the schedule.

Read Full Post »

Six Word Memoir Monday – What’s Yours???

Posted in Six Word Memoirs, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on December 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

Coat of arms of Munich

Image via Wikipedia

With Christmas fast approaching and New Year‘s not far behind, the readers entries to our weekly Six Word Memoir challenge seem to be taking on a tone of the season.  And why not?

When I’m retired, I’ll have time! – Susan Celtic Lady

Oostende, Linz, Saltzburg, Munich; decisions, decisions – Heide

NEW YEAR welcomes four innovative seasons – Karen

My job made me physically ill – Weez

“Oh Holy Night” makes me cry – Me

And to continue sharing excerpts from the book, Not Quite What I Was Planning Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure.

Wolf she cried. No one listened – May Lee

All day I dream about sex – GuroTupchileshtoff

I still make coffee for two – Zak Nelson

I like girls. Girls like boys – Andrea Dela Cruz




Read Full Post »

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Marthaspeak, tagged , , , , , , on December 13, 2010| 5 Comments »

I really am some kind of Christmas junkie.  For me the addiction is in decorating the house.  Over the years I have varied the look from time to time and when I had a large Victorian-style home in Connecticut, we had Christmas trees that were 9′ to 10′ tall and full of ribbons, flowers, bows, lace and confection.

Then there was the year of The Toy Story Christmas; My daughter and I were living in a bungalow-style small house and there really wasn’t room for a real tree.  I spent hours making a good size Candy Tree.  That was a treat (no pun intended), so colorful and sticky too.  Presents were piled on and around an old golden oak hall seat, stuffed animals sat here and there, Woody himself  was near the tree.

One year I went full-out Martha Stewart! I made the cookie ornaments featured in the magazine and a small flock of penguins hand-painted in blue and black frosting set in snow (salt), strung cranberries and popcorn and wrapped all the presents in brown paper tied with raffia.

When I married Peter (who’s Jewish), Christmas was still very much present, however, now I was living in a New York City apartment and soooooo;  the living room which has an Art Deco look became a silver and crystal wonderland.  Reindeer inhabited every room, shelf and nook – they’re so ecumenical, don’t you think?

Fast forward to the present and this year Christmas will be in our little cottage at the shore.  La Vie en Rose is a true confection of a cottage, at least I like to think so.  A small cottage can only handle so much decoration so again there’s no tree and by the way, that’s okay because over the years I have given all of the ornaments of their youth to my two now grown up kids.  The cottage is Victorian on the outside and eclectic on the inside.   Color is the key and this is what it looks like today.

 

La Vie en Rose, Christmas tree, Ocean Grove

A Pink Christmas is Perfect

The tree really isn’t supposed to have any ornaments and comes pre-wired with tiny lights but I guess I couldn’t resist hanging a couple and now that I see the photo, I think I’ll remove them.

 

flamingo, penguin, ornaments, bowl of ornaments

Flamingo and Penguin Co-exist at Christmas time

I love the reflections.

 

ocean grove,nutcrackers,wooden soldiers

My Army of Nutcrackers

Joel and Chiara Berti, pink ribboned tree

Pink Ribboned Tree

I have been looking at photos from other Christmases in the cottage and I see that this tree has been promoted to the first floor!

 

Christmas light bulbs, C-9 bulbs, canning jars, Ball jars, zinc lids, santa sleigh, pine cones

The First of the Ball Jar Bulb collection

There’s a few more jars and bulbs and a jingle bell wreath on the door.  I need to take a few more photos to do this all justice.

Merry Christmas to All!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »