Preppy Empty Nester F

Friday, February 23, 2018

The Friday Files

Hello, dear friends. I hope that you enjoyed your week. The highlight of mine happened on Wednesday night when I spent some time with my lovely friends from book club. By the way... we all agreed. Need To Know is the best thriller we have read in a long time. So if you need a good read to get you through a long flight, fasten your seatbelts and read this one.

How would you like to own Michelangelo's Tuscan estate?

It's for sale.

To see more click here.

I sent this pic with a note to the Mister:

Saturday supper?

As always, the Mister answered a question with a question.

He texted back: How about one of these?

Either way, I think I'll be well fed.

I like to reward myself every six hours when I stick to my diet. There is nothing in the world I love more than salt and chocolate. I've been dreaming of this salted/chocolate pudding cake since I laid my eyes on it.

Have you given any thought to where you want to retire? Here's a list of the best places which may give you some inspiration. The Mister and I are leaning towards #22.

If you and your significant other can't agree about your retirement home, why not take a four-month cruise and think about it?

Flickr

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work at the happiest place on earth? This article may burst your bubble.

Are you tired of the Olympics yet?

Who do you think is happier... the gold, silver, or bronze winner? Surprising results can be found here.

webcolby.edu

Do you have problems remembering names?

This video may help.

The Mister and I watched David Letterman's interview with George Clooney on Netflix last weekend. It was so entertaining.

I'm not just saying it because George was my first husband, either.

You can catch a sneak peek here.

Last but not least, Happy 4th Birthday to our Chowdah.
I've learned a lot of things from Chowdah over the years.

Chow has taught me that it's a lot more fun to be a bull in a china closet than the smartest guy in the room.

Chow has shown me that sometimes you have to man-up and take the blame for others.

It's not your fault that a bunch of bad guys broke into your house and ripped up your bed.

And last but not least, just because a breeder tells you that the sweet little puppy in your arms will grow to be 50 lbs. doesn't mean it's true.
He could end up to be twice as big.

Until next time...

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

A Well-Balanced Hodgepodge

Hodgepodge

Hello, dear friends. Can you hear the lilt in my voice? For the past few days, it has been Springtime in Beantown, and I love every minute of it. Today, we are expecting temps in the 70's!

Tonight I am off to book club. We are discussing the fabulous thriller, Need To Know. I'll keep you posted as to whether my pals liked it as much as I did.

If it's Wednesday, it's time for Hodgepodge.

1. Where do you go when you need some inspiration?

Any Real Housewives show.

In the grand scheme of things, it makes me feel like I am a better person than I am.

2. What's under your bed?

It's a mystery.
I can't bend down that far.

This question reminded me of the time when the girls were little, and we lived in Boca.

They were absolutely terrified of crocodiles coming into their room at night to sleep under their beds. We tried our best to talk them off the ledge many times. Finally, the Mister told them that crocs were physically unable to walk on carpeting.

That was enough for them.
We never heard another word about it.

3. Thursday, February 22nd is National Chili Day, National Margarita Day, and National Cook a Sweet Potato Day. Of the three which would you most like to celebrate? Is that likely?

National Chili Day, of course!

4. What are you 'snowed under' with right now?

Last week's Hodgepodge was the first time I heard the term power ballad and this week snowed under perplexes me.

I'm going to assume it means overwhelmed. I have been slowly but surely doing some Spring Cleaning/purging in the kitchen. I've already done two drawers. I won't dispute that the location of the wine fridge helps.

This is what I am up against.

Tell us three to five things that make you feel balanced?

I'll give you five because I am a compulsive overachiever.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I wonder if any of you can help me. The Mister and I are planning a getaway for this Summer. I don't want to bring my big camera, just in case I decide to try my hand at parasailing or ziplining. So I am in the market for a compact camera. Below are the two little numbers that I am thinking about.

Does anyone have one of these? Not to worry, I won't ask to borrow it - just want a review. Do you have another brand that you can recommend?

Amazon

Thanks for your help.

And if your camera comes with a skinny lens, all the better.

Until next time...

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Missing My Old HGTV

Hello, dear friends. We woke us to sunshine and about three inches of snow on the ground. I can't complain though because the weather peeps are forecasting temps in the 70's for a few days this week. Nothing I like better than a little tease of Spring.

Before the Bravo Network was even a twinkle in Andy Cohen's eye, I landed my first media crush on HGTV. Instead of today's Real Housewives' rants and tossing of tables, the sounds of hammering and perky designer hosts filled our home in the 1990's. I looked forward to seeing my favorite decorating shows every week with the same enthusiasm that I had for meeting an old friend for lunch.

My first and lasting crush was on Kitty Bartholomew. I adored her sense of style, in both design and size double-zero wardrobe. I even thought about putting a grey streak in my hair, but the Mister nixed that idea.

I can't help but get a warm smile on my face from perusing pics of Kitty's darling cottage in California.

I couldn't get enough of Kitty's clever use of color as well as her mix of checks, chintz, and toile. I could move into this room today and not change a thing.

The Mister would be bothered by all the clutter in her darling kitchen but not me.

He would like Kitty's philosophy of cookie in each hand, though.

Can you spell c-o-z-y?

I would wake up in a good mood every day in this peaceful, bright room.

My next favorite designer show was Chris Madden's. She was another one where I admired her personal style as well as her interior design. I bought all of her books and still have them.

Candice Olson and her quirky crew always made me chuckle. My Sista and I used to joke that Candice experienced a continuous growth spirt. In some scenes from her show, she looked 7 feet tall.

Speaking of perky, Paige is coming back with a Trading Spaces revival in April. My favorite part of the show was when the receivers of the makeover first see their renovated room. It was so much more interesting when you could tell that they were going to throw up as soon as the camera went off.

Remember Michael Payne from Designing for the Sexes? I used to get a kick out of him when he would declare in his crisp British accent, "Let's go shopping!"

Even though I watched Lynette Jennings, I wasn't that crazy about her. She reminded me of that PTA mother that liked to encourage "healthy snacks" for field trips and delivered a twenty-minute diatribe categorizing what was healthy and what was not.

I really enjoyed Chris Lowell's show.

He was entertaining as well as talented.

And last but perhaps least were Shari and Matt from Room by Room. You couldn't find two people more awkward with each other, let alone the television camera. Even though I didn't learn one solid thing from them, they were fun to watch.