A Musical Hodgepodge

Hello, dear friends.  Happy Hodgepodge Day!  It is raining dogs and cats this morning and rumor has it, it is going to last for awhile.  

1.  Something on your October calendar that makes you smile?

Skinny Delaney, moi, and sweet Judy

I am meeting my old buddy from Texas, Skinny Delaney, this week for lunch in Boston.  I have not seen her for a couple of years and she is now living in Pennsylvania.  

Between you and me, I'm secretly hoping Skinny Delaney got fat.

2.  Food for the soul or music for the soul... which camp are you in?  Tell us why.

Definitely, music for the soul.  I grew up in a home that continuously had the "hi-fi" blaring everything from Herb Alpert to Frank Sinatra.  By the time I was five years old, I knew every word to "The Girl from Ipanema."

Music can transform my bad mood into a good one.  It can also remind me of a wonderful time in my life.  There is a reason that I always have James Taylor and Carly Simon music on at home. 

  

3. What are two or three things you've learned recently as the result of an online search.

I haven't learned much, but these are the last things that I googled.

How do I get my dog to stop getting up on the patio table?

How many milligrams of doggie Xanax can an adult take?

4.  Share your favorite game day recipe.  You can describe it, post the how-to, or add a link to the actual recipe.

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Recipe found on Closet Cooking.

The only time that the Mister and I watch football is the Superbowl.  This mouthwatering recipe caught my attention so I may surprise the Mister and make it for the big game.  

It won't be that much of a surprise because I am not allowed to use the stove without adult supervision.

5.  What are your five essential steps for creating the perfect morning routine?

No question about it.  My family will testify that I am a creature of habit.

I always set my coffee machine the night before.  This is the only coffee I drink at home and I order it by the case.  The morning doesn't begin until I have my first cup.  

I feed and let these two characters out to take care of business.  Usually, when they come back into the house, a belly rub is in  order - theirs not mine.

I then turn on the TV to find out from my BFFs the news of the world.

I rack my brains to think of something to write about.

Then, if I can't think of anything, I go out for my morning stroll, which enables me to keep my girlish figure. 

6.  What small thing have you taken note of today?

This morning, I took note of the fact that in Massachusetts, jeans shrink in the closet during the summer.  Must be something in the air.

7.  Sum up your September in seven words or less.

September was chock full of gorgeous weather. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Last week, I spent a lot of my time on Pope-watch.  I have never been so proud to call myself a Catholic after observing this articulate, humble, loving man. 

Food for the soul or music for the soul...

which one best describes you?

Until next time...

Hellooooo Monaco!

Hello, dear friends.  I am happy to report that our weekend was filled with crisp air and stunning sunshine.  Sista had business in Beantown so she came and spent the night on Friday night.  

I took this pic of Chow eyeing some chow.

On Saturday, we dropped Sista off at the train and proceeded on to a Vintage Bazaar.  I took lots of pics that I will share with you soon.  On Sunday, we went to Mass and then went to see The Intern.  What a fun movie - I smiled through the whole thing.

Better late than never.  This is another post on our Mediterranean cruise that we took back in June.  If you are interested in seeing the past posts, you can find them here, here, and here.

After spending the morning in beautiful Nice, we hopped onto our mega bus to head to the one spot I was really looking forward to - Monaco.  I have always been fascinated by Princess Grace and her life as an actress and princess.  

Monaco is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy with Prince Albert, head of state.  The House of Grimaldi has ruled the monarchy with brief interruptions since 1297.  The official language is French, which was fortunate for me because I took four years of French One.

I took the next pictures from the bus.  The road was narrow with lots of twists and turns.  It was on this road that Princess Grace lost control of her car and lost her life.

Elton John owns a home on this road. 

You can see our home away from home in the distance. 

Our guide told us that strip of land holds a gorgeous pool that belongs to a very large home.

This is the Oceanographic  Museum founded by Prince Albert the First.

The Cathedral of our Lady of the Immaculate Conception is where Princess Grace and Prince Ranier III got married in 1956.

The Prince and Princess were also buried here.

Monaco is full of pictures of Princess Grace and her life in Monaco.  

The Mister on menu alert.  He always likes to go to restaurants that match his shorts.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at this restaurant on the patio.

Our table was next to the church.  We need all the grace (no pun intended) that we can get.

The one thing I was disappointed in was the shopping in Monaco -  one souvenir shop after another.  Guess the Grimaldi girls don't do much shopping here.

This is the Prince's Palace of Monaco and is the official residence of the Prince of Monaco.  The Grimaldi family have lived here since the 13th Century.

I wonder if the Grimaldi kids took their time-outs in that tower.

I didn't want to tell the Mister, but this guy kept giving me the eye.

Good bye beautiful Monaco!

Until next time...

A Few of My Favorite Things

Hello, dear friends.  First of all, I have heard from a number of my wonderful readers that they are no longer getting my posts in their emails.  I apologize profusely and have tried to figure out what is going on.  The only thing that I can suggest is to sign up with Bloglovin' and they will notify you when there is a new post on the blog.  Bloggers - if you have experienced this problem, I would appreciate it tremendously if you could tell me how to remedy the situation.

This post is a combo of weekend fun and my new favorite things.  Last weekend included two movies because the Mister was recovering from a bad cold and I couldn't stand to be holed up in the house all day listening to him sniffle and moan.

You may be surprised to hear this, but I am a sucker for a good mafia and/or gangsta movie.  I was really excited to see Black Mass which is based the life of Boston's most notorious bad boy, Whitey Bulger.  

There are a couple of things I want to say about the film.  First of all, Johnny Depp is literally unrecognizable in this role.  It must have taken hours for him to be made up every day.  The second thing is that his performance is so chilling that I am sure he will be nominated for an Oscar.  

The screenplay is well written.   Sure, there is plenty of violence and the f-word is every other word, but there is no way that the story could be told without them.

The story is an interesting one, and no question about it, the movie is great entertainment.
  

The Mister and I had no business going to see Everest.  We both detest cold weather and snow.  We are still suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome from last winter.  

And yet, we found ourselves in the theater donning the latest style of 3D glasses.

We both felt the movie was a little long but was pretty good.  We still hate snow, though.

   

Another fun fact about menopause:  the eye brow hair falls out and takes up residence on the upper lip.  This prompts my continuous effort to find the ideal brow pencil and filler.  I didn't have time to run to a cosmetics store, so I picked up Maybelline's Brow Satin up at Walgreens.  It is part pencil and part sponge applicator with powder in it.  I think it does a great job and is easy to use.  It also stays put all day.

Sista told me about this foundation so I had to run out and get some because I don't want Sista looking better than me.  CVS was having a deal on Revlon products - buy one get one half off.  The most difficult part of purchasing drug store cosmetics is getting the color right.  So I bought two colors and hoped for the best.  I have an oily t-zone and I was worried that my face would look like an oil slick after a few hours.  The foundation stays on all day and if you are looking for full coverage like me, it is a great product.  It did not make my face look oily either.  As a warning... when you put this on, you'll think it is too thick, but it's not - it looks natural. 

We picked up these 10 calorie crispy snacks filled with pressed barley, wheat, and brown rice.  Not only are they delicious, but they don't crumble with the first bite.  I eat a couple for breakfast with my low-calorie peanut butter and banana.  They are also great with cottage cheese, beefsteak tomato, and a dash of fennel on top.

With all the calories I am saving, I can eat more Twix ice cream bars!

My mother used to accuse my father of "overselling" things.  It could be anything from a car to a movie - he would say it was the absolute best.  My mother would then explain to him for the umpteenth time that during their 48 years of marriage that people have such a high expectation about that thing, that it never quite reaches it.  I feel that way sometimes when I recommend a book or movie to you.  

At the risk of overselling, I have to tell you that I positively adored A Man Called Ove and every quirky, mismatched character in it.  Basically, it is about a town curmudgeon that lives in a small town in Sweden who lost his beloved wife and decides that he wants to commit suicide to join her.  He sets up many ways to end his life and every time he's ready, he is interrupted and a comedy of errors ensues.   Upon finishing this book, I went through three tissues because I had to say good bye to the characters and especially to Ove.

And to top off a great weekend, my #1 called me last Saturday night and said she had great news.  Now when you are the mother of a twenty-three-year-old who has been dating an adorable young man, your mind always goes to one place.  But it wasn't that.   My #1 told me that she and Adorable Jonathon were at a tailgate at TCU and the loveliest lady came up to her and asked if she was #1.  She introduced herself as Vicky and she explained that she has read my blog ( #1 said "really?")  for awhile.  As Adorable Jonathon walked up, she knew him right away.  Vicky has two boys who are horned frogs,as well.  

Vicky - you made my day, week, and year.  Next time I'm in the great state of Texas, I would love to take you to lunch.

Have a great weekend.

Until next time...

Treat time!