1nce Upon A Spider...

Word of the Year

2012-01-16T16:14:00.003-05:00

When I came across this post, I was instantly stoked. I thought "FINALLY"!!!

I am one of those kinds of people that is in constant need of motivation & inspiration in order to feel I am even capable of achieving my hopes, dreams, wishes & goals. I have a tendency to have the greatest of intentions, start a new project/habit/resolution, then totally drop the ball.

That said, I am always searching for quotes and words that can sum up a feeling I have or want to have. I am convinced that these inspiring words of wisdom help switch my brainwaves around into believing I CAN be consistent, persistent, confident and downright ballsy with my way of life. Nonstop fear of change, the unknown, and failure can be utterly debilitating to someone with a low self esteem. Just sayin'...

The word that lept into this little pea brain of mine was INTREPID.

Definition of INTREPID
: characterized by resolute (marked by firm determination; bold; steady) fearlessness, fortitude (strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage), and endurance (the ability to withstand hardship or adversity)<an intrepid explorer>

Synonyms: bold, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gutsy, gutty, heroic (also heroical), brave, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, undauntable, undaunted, valiant, valorous

I would love for anyone that still reads this blog to consider choosing their own "Word of the Year" with me. Leave a comment so I can be nosy and take a peek at your choice. Good luck & BEST WISHES to living everday with this word in mind. Cross your fingers that I do the same. :)

A Fanciful Halloween

2011-09-19T13:12:00.001-04:00

http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/a_fanciful_twist/2011/09/halloween-festivities-an-invitation.html

Ruffles!!!!!!!

2011-06-21T14:09:00.001-04:00

Sea Glass

2011-05-19T11:47:00.001-04:00

Sea Glass by Tiffany@style featuring a straw hat

M Patmos striped top
$395 - kirnazabete.com

Rodarte x Opening Ceremony pleated skirt
$518 - barneys.com

Yves Saint Laurent high heel shoes
$720 - ssense.com

Floral jewelry
6 GBP - hannahzakari.co.uk

Sparkle jewelry
6 GBP - asos.com

H m jewelry
5.99 GBP - hm.com

Retro style sunglass
$89 - jackwills.com

Zara bow belt
$26 - zara.com

Miss Selfridge straw hat
15 GBP - missselfridge.com

Spring Green

2011-05-17T17:21:00.001-04:00

Spring Green by Tiffany@style featuring lace jewelry

Silk dress
$168 - anthropologie.com

Platform shoes
$388 - anthropologie.com

Metal jewelry
$32 - anthropologie.com

Lace jewelry
$228 - anthropologie.com

Slimmer belt
$38 - anthropologie.com

Suprise!!! It's Tori.

2011-04-05T20:08:00.005-04:00

Upside Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTWtSY5OTk

Blood Roses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhYKex-j4_0 DIV

LONG TIME, NO SEE!!! To all those subscribers to this little blog of mine, thank you so much for hanging in there. I'm back...kinda. I've been dying to write to you all and share an abundance of stuff that has happened as well as things that I've sporadically stumbled across (inspiration wise).

Just to clarify, this is an insanely random post. A friend of mine posted a link (on *hack* FB) of Tori Amos "Love Song". This post sparked a flareup of memories.

As a young teen, Tori was one of the first artists that I really gravitated towards for not only her sound, but for her lyrics, her imagery, her reputation, her sense of self...all kinds of things! I adored her! Still do...just don't listen to her as much for some reason.

Anyway, I wanted to share some links of my personal fave songs. Most of them will be live versions for the simple fact that my daddy bought me a 'Tori in concert' on VHS. I fell asleep to this very show every night for nearly 2 YEARS!!! I loved is so much. It still hits me in that squishy place. I hope you enjoy. xD

A little naughty, but oh-so-very-nice

2009-11-19T17:11:00.004-05:00

So here they are, friends.

My favorite wedding photos e-v-e-r.

As you can see in the top one, we were being a bit naughty...or at least I was. ;)

I was very sweetly saying,

"Higher....higher....hiiiiigher....just a little bit more..."

Then in the second pic...

"Aaaaaah! Not that high!"

I love my hunnybunny so very much. We still have the best laughs, the snuggliest cuddles, the tenderest kisses, the tightest hugs, and the hottest.....arguments. (teehee) Best of all, we're even better at being a "boring ol'" married couple than bf & gf. Even our two girls say we're awesome! How great is that?

It's our anniversary!!!!!!!

2009-11-17T17:26:00.002-05:00

Well, crap! I had some fantabulous wedding pictures to show you all, but my scanner is being a.....punk. So wish us a happy anniversary anyway, and tomorrow I will have them up & ready. (fingers crossed)

BTW, it's our second celebration of marriage, but we've been together for approx. 8. Phew! I think he loves me. ;)

xoxoxo

2009-11-01T00:37:00.004-04:00

Okay. I know that I'm over an hour late, and I am totally stealing this idea from somebody else that blogged about it, BUT that is the most common form of flattery (right???) and it is still one of the most ridiculously funny ~~SNL~~ MADTV shorts.

So here it is!

"...and when I'm in this blood lust, I either have to kill people or spend money, it's horrible."

The best card EVER

2009-10-29T22:39:00.004-04:00

***This isn't the one, Duchess.***

I was appointed to look for some "elegant", blank cards to hand out to ballroom dance studio owners as thank you notes. (A SUPER long story, but in short: I grew up with ballroom dancing; my father turned pro. and has owned a studio since I was 7/8/something; preceding his mother's death, he has taken over Nana's dance competition which I and even my children now partake in heavily.......phew!) So I hopped on over to CVS. Having the attention span of a goldfish, I started looking at random thinking of you cards when I saw this gem.

Hands down, the best card ever.

Thank God for my quirky friends...clinically sane or not.

ridiculously cute

2009-10-20T10:53:00.003-04:00

I want him so badly! I'm not exactly liking the leash, but that's beside the point. Just look at him!!! Can you imagine seeing this everytime you had to go to work or anywhere for that matter? I would die. Aaaaand I would never be able to go to work.

HOUSE!!!!!!!!

2009-09-21T16:11:00.004-04:00

Super fast post here.

Tonight:

1. me

2. little sister, Lexi

3. Papa John's pizza

4. my daughters spending quality time with Daddy since he was 4wheeling all weekend

5. 2 HOUR LONG, DISTRACTION FREE PREMIERE OF HOUSE ! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!

2009-08-06T00:08:00.003-04:00

I was awarded by the divine Duchess of Rose Tea Cottage.

I believe this to be the most beautiful award that I've seen thus far.

Please stop by her blog to have a cup of tea and soak in the most delectable images of the entire blogosphere.

Duchess is the kindest of hostesses and graciously welcomes each visitor with open arms, tea and Laduree macaroons.

Do help yourself and join her for tea.

http://roseteacottage.blogspot.com/

Desperately Seeking...

2009-08-04T21:40:00.002-04:00

This post is nothing fancy, pretty or evn pleasant, but I need you all totake a moment to read.

A very dear friend of mine ad a horrific car accident early this morning. This friend has played a very important role in my little sister's life. Due to this relationship, he has also made it's way into my own life. He has been, in a way, my brother, for 12+ years. He has had many ups &downs, but through it all, I have loved him and wanted nothing bt the best forhim regardless of some poor choices on his part...

History aside, we need sincere prayer, well wishes, warm thoughts or whatever it is you can/are willing to give.

He works a third shift job. Yesterday, he did not sleep, as he should have, before going towork. He got off before 7am. He began to make his way home, but only got as far as a few miles away from his job before he fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. He was lucky. He survived and was rushed to the hospital to find that he had a few bad lacerations, lots of swelling on the left side of his head, and a concusion. I went to the E.R. to at least speak with his family since as the daughter of a doctor, I know only the immediate is allowed to go back with the patient. However, because of my name (thank you Daddy, and thank God), I was allowed back as he and his wife were being prepped to go home....... He looked better than what I expected, bt he remembered nothing. He's been given many chances to wake up, but has never taken those situations as such. I sincerely pray that this was IT. He could've died!!! He could've left his wife and children. He could've left us friends that love him dearly. He could have...

Please, do whatever it is that you do to help him come aout of this knowing that he has been blessed with life regardless of the consequences of this situation (3rd strike with no license - he will go to jail after this circumstance). I...we would really appreciate any kindness.

Thank you all for taking the time.

Good night.

Somewhere over the rainbow

2009-08-02T02:35:00.010-04:00

Grrr... this is not what I had in mind for posts this weekend, but I'm sure we all know what it's like for things to not go exactly as planned.

Regardless, these are some of the best photos of a rainbow that I have ever taken...composition wise that is. :)

On a serious note, how many of you have seen a complete rainbow - one that touches from one side clear to the other side? This is my first so , clearly, I was overwhelmingly anxious about getting as many pictures as possible.

That in mind, here is a quick Picnik collage of the incredible rainbow we had the other day. It was, hands down, the biggest I have ever seen in my lifetime thus far.

And check out the cottoncandy clouds that followed. Beautiful, right? God is goooood.

To continue the romanticism that goes along with rainbows, I would like to share the toast my father gave at my wedding. I hope you have some tissues handy....

Yep, that's me!!!

Please let me know if you cannot click to enlarge photos since this is very necessary for you to be able to read the toast.

Thank you, lovelies!!! xoxo

Mad Wagon

2009-07-31T17:01:00.003-04:00

Okay, I hate to jump on the band wagon, but I couldn't help it this time. Three of my favorite bloggers have done this, and although I never use them, I like playing dressup with avatars.

Without further ado, I present the Mad Me.

Go to the AMC site, or do as I did and google Mad Men avatar. It's quick, easy and a wee bit cheesy. Still fun nonetheless.

*** more posts coming this weekend....FINALLY***

Summer's Finest

2009-07-30T16:53:00.005-04:00

You've probably seen this one before, but it still emulates summer.

Sunflower Fields Forever

Poppies

These below are some of North Carolina's finest.

(If you've never heard of scuppernong & muscadine grapes, you MUST give them a try. Definitely, not first date food. The skin is thick and bitter, so you bite them to split the skin, suck out the flesh, then spit that sucker out. How fun does that sound?! )

(the purple ones are the muscadines)

(these lovely golden pink skins are from the scuppernongs)

You'll find honeysuckle & wysteria (my FAVE) climbing on everything in my yard. I can't think of a sweeter smelling breeze.

bumble bee butt!!! bunny candy

Each day, I drive home on country roads that have fields like

this on each side.

In a world of my own

2009-07-24T16:03:00.005-04:00

Here are a few of the newest stills from Tim Burton's

Alice in Wonderland

Girls nowadays, pfff. They drink anything you put infront of them.

Bad, Hatter, bad!!! Mad is NO excuse to have no manners at all.

The costumes

& makeup

are

utterly enchanting.

photos compliments of Love_Alice (via flickr)

A very important date

2009-07-24T15:28:00.003-04:00

Holy smokes, here it is!!!!!!!!! The first "teaser trailer" for Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Isn't it lovely? Johnny......*sigh*.....always a sight to behold.

A very important date indeed: March 5, 2010

Better late than never

2009-07-15T23:29:00.007-04:00

I promised beach photos so...here they are. I must admit that I'm overly anxious about posting these as I have not done ANY editting. I feel as if I'm getting waaaay ahead of myself since I have developed quite the love for perfecting my images. That being said, you will also get a "part deux" post showing the editted, finished product asap. Meaning - grab your ankles and brace yourself, as all the perve high school boys used to say. ;) (Sorry, I couldn't help myself with that one.)

First, we have my loverly Princess, Charlee Anne aka. "my little mermaid".

This is the babygirl that absolutely HATED H2O 2 years ago. Now look at 'er!

Second, we have Haylee, my tomboy, in a small section of wildflowers at the Beaufort harbor.

Of course, I can't do one and not the other...

Aaaaahhhhh! USA & North Carolina in all it's glory. Please click to enlarge this one at least to get the full-on, patriotic feel. God Bless our world!!!!

The pillar

Have I freakin' mentioned that I LOVE pirates. Aaaaargh, me hearties!!!!

My oldest nephew, Sean, a mere casualty.

The rugrats: Charlee Anne, Sean, Haylee, Zack, and Mike (the big kid)

Have fun parasailing, Mom! I'll see you when your feet are firmly planted again.....

(enough said, right?!)

read between the lines....I didn't even considering the ride

ME & heights = NOT!!!!

My bathing beauties.

A kodak moment of Haylee and her cousin "Zack Attack", but in this pic we'll call him "Crack Attack".

Hahahahahahahahaha

Sorry for the hysteria, but daggon that's funny! I crack myself up.

This is my oh-SO-strong momma. Not the best of relationships, sadly, but I admire her more than she could ever know.

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!!

Of course, I couldn't leave out my favorite scenic pics. (Family members may not appreciate, but come on...these are postcard material...the 1st one at least.)

THE END!!!

...til next time.

Homeward Bound

2009-07-13T16:23:00.003-04:00

I'm back from a beautiful beach weekend celebrating my mom's 58th birthday. The past three days were filled with parasailing, boardwalk stomping (around Beaufort), eating & dranking, swimming, clam digging, moonwalking, and spending loads of quality time together. I love getting away for a weekend, but there's nothing lovelier than coming home.

Our meals were delicious, but my sunfried mind didn't think to take the first picture. Argh! Anyway, our menu consisted of:

Delicious eggs, bacon/sausage, and blueberry pancakes every morning! Have I told you that I love breakfast foods....all of them.
Beer Butt Chicken - a little weird to look at but soooooo good
Ribs - Little sis makes the best. Stab 'em and slab 'em, Lexi!
Burgers - with super thick slices of homegrown tomatoes, creamy spinach and artichoke dip, couple slices of crispy, salty bacon, and topped with a whole grain bun. Mmmm, feed me, Seymore!
Hot dogs - that's it; not a whole lot to say about those...they were bun-length Ballpark weenies...
Spaghetti Salad - Mike's (big sister's man) concoction: thin spaghetti; diced veggies - red, yellow, and green bellpeppers, english cucumber, roma tomatoes; fresh herbs - dill (& LOTS of it), cilantro, and basil; italian dressing)
Coleslaw - also Lexi's
sliced veggies and hummus (for snacking)
and French Vanilla Zucchini cake covered in berries

I have some beautiful & even ridiculus pictures to post, but I'll have to get to those later this evening. Hopefully.

Water Gun Wars

2009-07-09T16:22:00.004-04:00

Poor thing...quite the casualty, ain't she?

This is officially my favorite "summer" polaroid yet.

water guns - CHECK
gorgeous dress - CHECK
sunshine - CHECK
pool - CHECK
polaroid camera - CHECK
lovely dead gal - CHECK (Muah-ah-ah-ah-ah!)

*compliments of http://www.flickr.com/people/toniraquel_edbopp/

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

2009-07-07T16:13:00.000-04:00

Let's talk ♥ movies ♥.

In this post, I wanted to share four of my all time favorite films. These mentioned made an impact in how I, as a young girl, saw the world . It was by watching these classics that I learned a little about love, longing, lies, selflessness, silliness, unconventional beauty, and the want for "something more". A bit melodramatic, I know, but it's true!

In my family, movies are a big deal. I grew up with the REAL classics. My grandparents (on my fathers side) had a HUGE influence on my raising, which I am forever grateful. My Nana & Poppa were...are...everything to me. They were the ones, specifically Poppa, that shared their love of the moving picture. I would love to show you some of the movies that have really stuck with me and have even been passed down to my 2 ladybugs.

movie poster

"The Greatest Show on Earth" was released in 1952 and directed by Cecil B. DeMille.

I actually saw it on TCM at the end of last week. *sigh*
Just as wonderful as I remembered.

Anyway, the movie follows 5 main characters...something of an oddly shaped love triangle -

2 being trapeze artists, one elephant trainer/charmer, the circus manager, and Buttons the clown (not in the love triangle; just the BEST character of all).

Charles Heston as the gruff, no bull circus manager, Brad Braden.

Soooo delicious.

Betty Hutton is the high flying Holly. A bit of a diva, but still a lovable character...I guess.

Cornel Wilde as The Great Sebastian

Gloria Grahame is the sassy, Angel.

Angel (doing her thang)
A fire-ry redhead that has no shame in speaking her mind...and what a lovely mind.

Definitely my favorite female in this.

Drum roll please.

(Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da)

BUTTONS the clown played by the one and only James Stewart.

He is the most complex character of the film.

Buttons never gets out of makeup, only goes by "Buttons", and carries a deep, dark secret....

Oooooooo...you want to see it now, don't you? Good, cause I'm not tellin'!

Okay, SO - Sebastian loves Holly, aaaand

Holly loves Brad & so does Angel, but the elephant trainer loves Angel who she hates, but she's perfect for Sebastian, aaaaaand

They hate eachother.

Then EVERYONE winds up happy, except...

*****

"The Women" (1939) follows the troubled marriage and questionable friendships of Mary, Mrs. Stephen Haines.

The players:

Joan Crawford is the villainous Crystal that stole Mr. Haines.

Rosalind Russell is the so-called "friend", Sylvia Fowler, who is dying to tell Mary that her husband's been running around town with the perfume girl (not out of deep concern, that's for sure).

Norma Shearer is the endearing and ever-so-beautiful Mary.

Lucile Watson plays Mrs. Morehead, another of Crystal's victims.

Notice the ladies are all hiding their claws behind their backs.

Here's Sylvia doing what she does best, play both sides.

Crystal, however, has her guard down and actually thinks Sylvia is a friend.

HA! That's what you get, hussy!

The very moment of Mary's epiphany.

"I've had two years to grow claws, Mother. Jungle Red!!!"

Also where the movie came full circle:

In the beginning,

Mary found out about the affair from a nail tech Sylvia suggested (of course).

Jungle Red was a polish color and the code for that specific nail tech.

Later,

Mary fights back. Woohoo!

*****

The Red Shoes

One of the most romantic and heart renching movies I've ever seen.

Victoria 'Vicky' Paige is played by Moira Shearer, a real live ballerina and not a bad actress either.

This storyline is based off the fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson,

and the screenplay by Emeric Pressburger.

***found via Wikipedia: "also said to have been inspired by the real-life

meeting of Sergei Diaghileev with the British ballerina Diana Gould"***

Victoria - a tortured soul. She is in love......but a dancer has no time for love.

You know what? I could get extremely lengthy in this description of the plot.

So why don't you click the wikipedia link to read it yourself, then immediately watch the movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Shoes_(film)

Isn't she lovely?

*****

"Funny Face"

For this movie, Audrey Hephburn played the quirky, not-at-all interested in being sexy, preoccupied Jo Stockton. This is one of her many characters that I relate to incredibly. Such a sweet spirit.

Who better to dance alongside and be photographed by than Dick Avery aka. Fred Astaire.

I love how uninhibited Audrey was for this film, actually for all her films, but this one in particular.

She reminds me a little more of Sabrina here. Another magical movie also featuring Humphrey Bogart.

This is what you call a natural beauty. I don't think she could be ugly

no matter how hard she tried.

"Take the picture! Take the picture!"

Have a good 4th!

2009-07-04T03:12:00.025-04:00

I love holidays..all of them to be quite honest,

but after this year, Independence Day is beginning to take the lead.

The whole aspect of family getting together in celebration warms me.

The 4th of July has always been a fun, family oriented, beachy, food filled,

all American kind of way to celebrate eachother, our country, our freedom, our history, and those that serve us. God bless America!!!

"Fire in the Hole!"

We went to our local mall for the annual fireworks manifesto. They were late, as usual.

Start time of 9:00pm was really 9:20 - just like last year.

Oh well, I kinda feel like the tardiness is part of the tradition now.

So they finally started shooting them off, and it was

awesome.

Truly the best I've seen in a long time.

I took manymanymany photos,

and instead of hurting myself by picking favorites,

I decided to post

every single one of them

while I watched Kill Bill Vol.1. (♥)

I've got nothin' but time baby.

I hope everyone had a fun & safe weekend.

Enjoy the pretty explosives!

Yes, you're seeing it correctly.

My motley crew had the best seat in the house,

ontop of the Suburban.

Begin oohs and ahs......

here...

and here...

here would be good too...

definitely here...

I'm sure you get the idea. :)

Of course for the full "ooh & ah" effect,

you should click to enlarge any or all of these beauties.

My baby looks like she has daddy longlegs...but nope, it's Charlee laying in her lap. Sweet sissies.

Random cute kid with sparkler.

This is the Hawaiian Shaved Ice hut with a never ceasing line. (seriously, it was insane)

Know your role, woman!

2009-06-29T15:57:00.013-04:00

Touchy title, I know, but still funny. My manhunk screws with me all the time in this way, and I don't take it offensively at all (he's always a punk - teehee)....until his buddies are around and he developes that annoying quality of not knowing when the hell to shut up! But that's another story entirely.

The story I have today, kids, is about kitchen appliances. Stop moaning and let me finish. I'm talking about awesome appliances here; not your everyday, run of the mill, Maytag, Fridgedaire, or Whirlpool. The appliances I'm referring to can make you want to spend all your time in the rockin' kitchen you've modified specifically for your wants and needs.

I'm sure most have seen the Big Chill fridges. They're modern but with a vintage appearance. Well, I get this Carolina freeby magazine that focuses on local stuff - (the current season's gardening tips, design pointers, and tidbits about NC counties in general), but inside the last issue was a gorgeous ad for Elmira Stove Works!!!! How in God's green earth have I not seen these before?! If you haven't, then you're in for a treat unless you aren't really into vintage. If that's the case, NEVERfreakingMIND! Here we go:

They kinda look like Grateful Dead ranges, don't they? :)

So these bad boys can be custom built for YOUR kitchen. When I say custom built, I mean exact measurements, style of stove top, gas/electric, color, you name it! Seriously, check out the flames. It's HotWheels!

Elmira Stove Works do more than stoves too! I've googled dishwashers and even microwaves. To be honest, the microwaves look a little bit like easybake ovens.

This next image makes me sad. First off, I love copper, so I want this really badly. Second, I received on of these lovelies from my bro-in-law at Christmas this past year. Problem: When lugging all of our presents into our home, I decided to get my Oster out of the box the moment I stepped in the house. Not the best of ideas, being that the room you would immediately step into has tile floor. Upon opening my new kitchen toy, I fumbled......wait NO! I already had everything out of the box, and I was walking up the stupid four steps into my kitchen. My clutsy a** tripped then dropped the canister piece. The daggon thing bounced off the bottom step and crashed into a million glittering pieces all over that white tile floor. Tile is not the most forgiving when it comes to slamming into it....not like carpet would have. Sad, very sad moment. I didn't even get to use it yet. I still have the base. Not sure why, but I do. :(

Oster Classic Beehive in Coppertone

Not keen on the idea of retro-renovating an enitre room. How about a nifty computer tower. I love this. Also one of my all-time-favorite colors.

Man, I can't remember who does the toaster, but it reminds me of my first car:

1954 Chevy Belair

Yep, that was my first car. It was candy apple red with white trim. The interior had red carpeting and white vinyl seats with red piping. There was chrome everywhere. The windows were chopped. It was a sight to behold. Don't be jealous. ;) I'll post pictures of it someday soon. Funny story goes with it too. Oooo, I can't wait to dig those photos up now.

Ahah! It's a Dualit two slice toaster. Google is good.

This avocado knockout is my absolute favorite. Everything about it is what I want for my little hole/role/place. So many colors would compliment this piece, and I have so many colors in my kitchen. Hmmm, thinking I could use this as a motivation piece to start saving up for. I will have a 35th bday in say-oooh some 7 odd years.

Now let's take a look at kitchens as a whole (not hole) with the Elmira stoves. I've noticed that although they certainly have a vintage appearance, they don't always give off an overall retro feel once placed in their home.

Look how elegant this copper range is. I love copper, really I do.

This one definitely gives that country vibe. I bet grandma's got cookies in that one.

These two give a perfect visual for one of you that might ask,

"what kind of kitchen would they fit best in?"

Answer: ANY!

On the left, we have the expected 40s/50s style kitchen, obviously. Quite diner-esque, don't you think? As much as I love this style, it would get old after awhile. The right side, however, is so elegant and a little rustic all at the same time. This is what I think an Italian kitchen would look like. The windows in the cabinetry are lovely. I would love to have my dishes on display. I don't know...I think I'd get sick of this too.

And LOOK! I even found mommy&me photos. So awesome! My girls would probably play with their kitchen more if it looked just like mine. They're loving games that mimic life right now.

Wow, that's so....pink! Sheesh.

(Grace would love this one, Dani!)

Oh! One more thing:

I found a neato website that has "Retro Kitchen Design Sets". Very nice site, with amazing pics. Go see!

http://www.home-designing.com/2009/05/retro-kitchen-design-sets-and-ideas

We're all mad here.

2009-06-24T22:57:00.021-04:00

Oh Johnny, I would have tea with you ANYday....multiple times. *wink-wink

Is anyone as excited as I am about the making of this movie? I am psyched!!! Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and ALICE IN WONDERLAND! Are you kidding? Someone pinch me. I am such a die hard fan of all I just mentioned so to throw them together in one film! My God is gooooooood. On a serious note, I had wondered for the longest on why Burton hadn't jumped on this film sooner. Regardless, I can't wait until this comes to the BIG screen.

And now for the pictures:

Here we havethe oh-so-sweet Aussie actress, Mia Wasikowska, as Alice
click for larger view

The always enchanting, Anne Hathaway, as the White Queen (my God those lips)

click for larger view

Helena Bonham Carter (need I say more?), combination of the Red Queen & the Queen of Hearts

click for larger view

British comic, Matt Lucas, as the Tweedles

click for larger view

Alice in the living flower garden (my all time favorite part)
click for larger view

next 2 images from the Disney 23 mag

After a little searching, I found that this take on Alice is going to be a return to Wonderland. Alice is now 17 and has no memory of every being there. Things have changed greatly since her last visit. Wonderland is now dark & twisted. And we all know, Tim Burton is the master of dark & twisted. I can't wait to see his Wonderland. I know it will be beautifully and wonderfully creepy. YAY!

R.I.P. Blue

2009-06-22T13:29:00.005-04:00

These are two pics that I found from last year. We had bought this gorgeous blueberry bush, then killed it. We didn't mean to do it, obviously, but I'd like to try again. Does anyone have experience with these? I have had some success with plants. More with those that are self sufficient, but still success nonetheless.

So in memory of.....here she is in all her blooming glory. R.I.P. Blue. Better luck next time. :(

SYTYCD?!?!?!?!

2009-06-17T20:41:00.014-04:00

I am a little shamed to admit that I am a SYTYCD whore. BUT only since this current season 5, I swear it!

To be quite honest, I am typically the girl who refuses to jump on a band wagon that everyone else is riding on. That is I don't take a liking to many things that are poplar simply for the reason that they are.....well, popular. I've always been the odd girl, the different one, the unique sort, if you will. For the sake of proof, I was nominated and overall voted "Most Unique" all four years of high school. Sadly, this title was not a compliment at WCDS.

Back to the topic at hand, SYTCD. Dancing has been a huge part of my raising. So I am relieved to find comfort in at least 1 of the common reality competitions. Season 5 could not be a better season...really. I've fallen head over heals for the talent of (eliminated WAY too soon) Kelsea Taylor.

Her audition was emmaculate. I hate that she didn't make it to the Top 20.

And

Don't let me forget to mention the 17 year old kid....google.....Nathan Trasoras.

Beautiful is what he is.

Anyway! I get side tracked so easily. I am completely and utterly enamored with the choreographer

Sonya Tayeh

So I've been googling her like mad. I found this gem of a video that exudes the quirky sexiness that I love so much about her work. Seems like such a fun person Enjoy the clip.

xo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROtV_GeelKA

2009-06-15T15:19:00.015-04:00

Picnik-ing
(These are some beautiful white roses. I warmed up the overall color and added the "pencil" feature. Now they look like some sort of magnolia/gardenia hybrid.)

I was recently directed to a wonderful photo editing site called Picnik.com. *Thanks Vicky! This such a nice option for those of us who drool over the idea of owning a $200+ photo editing program. Sadly, most of us, don't have enough shiny pennies to even consider it, and picnik is there to help. It is free to register...seriously. I don't mean "free". I mean FREE! There are tons of tools that are available for use. The little catch is that there are also premium tools. These tools can be played with and tested on your pic, but you cannot actually accept and save the pics with the premium tool in use. Now, if you love all those advanced tools as much as I do, then you won't mind paying the $24.95 for one year!

(This is a view of Daddy's house taken from the rose garden. Beautiful, isn't it?)

I've only editted a few old pics I had floating around on my work computer. They're not the best, but I had a blast learning all the tools. Comments are most welcome!

(Mis bebes! Haylee (4) is the one with her face burrowed in the rose, and Charlee (5) is the one, gingerly, moving her hair. Don't let their angelic faces fool you.)

(Blueberries that my dad swears look like eyeballs. Ew.)

(This is my favorite. So soft. So sweet. I'm not 100%, but I believe these are pink fairy roses.)

(The only thing I did to these little ladies was frame it with the "polaroid" tool. No zoom, no softening, no color adjustment, NADA. Not to shabby, if I do say so...)

(Here, I played with the shadows & exposure, then finished it with a soft focus.)

(Can anyone say Andy Warhol? I think he would have liked this.)

2009-06-11T13:21:00.006-04:00

Research, Reflect & Revamp!!!

Ok...I'm officially ashamed of my blog, which means it is time to revamp. I started this thing 2/3 years ago, and that's where it stopped. I may have posted two entries. Crap, I know.

I have so many ideas of what I want to achieve with this blog, but no idea as to where I should start. I follow numerous, beautiful and equally inspiring blogs. I should feel inspired, right? To be quite honest - I am imtimidated and terrified. It has always been a stuggle for me to "put myself out there". Did I mention these bloggers are magnificent?! They even spread the love by linking to other fabulous blogs. How sweet? All of these creative minds have an element of personal style throughout each and every post.

I really don't know what to do with a blog. I am, at least, noticing a pattern to the types of blogs I like to follow. Most importantly - I have desire, passion & moxie! I certainly enjoy writing. I somewhat know how to write. (I don't want to pretend that I know it all. I need to learn so much more.) I want to become a better writer...a great writer. I need to get a handle on all the HTML, formatting, photo hosting sites, etc...and get this blog ball rolling!

I love informative, descriptive, detailed, photo-filled (but not overdone), and personal entries. Of course, I do understand that there are fundamentals that need to be learned and understood first. I've read that Holly Becker, decor8blog.com/, has e-course called "Blogging Your Way". Can anyone let me know more about this? After following her blog for a couple of months, I've deeply fallen for her sweet and helpful nature. Turns out that she is also a Carolina girl. I knew she was a southern belle!

Then, just recently, I read an entry at Vicky's Simply Hue, matissecolor.blogspot.com/. She conducted an amazing interview with Holly, but the kicker for me was when I read,

"Just four months ago I had no idea what a blog even was.

One afternoon I was doing an online search for the

'10 most popular decorating sites' when Holly Becker's

blog "decor8" popped up. I spent the next few hours

(yes, hours) perusing her beautiful, inspirational site

and became hooked. Shortly after that, I registered for

Holly's e-course "Blogging Your Way" and discovered

what a dedicated teacher and caring person she is. "

You see?! There IS hope. Vicky's blog is beautiful, and she had no clue what a blog was four months ago. I'm very excited now, but I would love to hear more about this e-course or any others that you would like to recommend. Comments are most welcome.

2008-05-03T00:44:00.031-04:00

History: When Dad began designing the rose garden, he gave all of us women in the family a rose guide and told each of us to pick a specific rose bush that we wanted to stand for ourselves. Hence the reason behind all of the random types of roses. Mine is a Tiffany rose which is the lovely dusty pink/peach/mauve. It has a Victorian appeal to it. I also picked a soft ballerina pink for Charlee Anne's and a lavender purple for Haylee. We also picked a soft white rose for Nana that was called something like Sweet Memories I think.

My dad handed me a invitation he had received to enter into a contest for Best Rose Garden. When he first asked me to take photos, I had the misunderstanding that it was a contest for Best Roses not garden per se. Needless to say, I ended up taking roughly 80-100 pictures of the garden as well as other beautiful areas of his yard.

It's funny. To be so much like my father, our taste in photography styles couldn't be more different. I love closeups, quirky angles, and unsual cropping to give a more artistic feel. He, on the other hand, likes them to be head on, from a distance, and no cropping at all really. I can't help but think, BLAH. (For any photographers that read this, please don't be insulted at my lack of proper terminology. I LOVE to take pictures, however, I am very much an amateur. I just get lucky sometimes and get a great shot.) Granted, he does like nine out of ten of the pictures taken, but he kept saying things like, "it's a shame you didn't get the whole thing", or "I wish you had taken it from farther back", and "why did you cut this off". Argh! I couldn't help but want to yell at him, "think outside the box, Daddy!"

These below are more up my alley. Look at the dewdrops, shadows, and different layers of focus throughout these next few. Honestly, with the beautiful landscaping, it was nearly impossible to take a bad picture.

Now let's talk about variety! The whole yard is elegant, but you also get the essence of something whimsical, mythological, and slightly homey. I like that even as fancy as it is, there still is that level of being relaxed and comfy. You can take your shoes off and break bread with his monster sized catfish...sit in the swing by the willow...ride the golf cart around the pond...read a good book in the rose garden...whatever. There is no limit.

Speaking of elegant. Check out this gorgeous woman. Oh, what I wouldn't give to lose my fear of heights and gain the power of flight for one day...

My dad sees Mimi, his wife & my stepmom, in this piece. How romantic. For anyone who doubts whether there are any male romantics left, you must meet my Daddy. He's a rare breed which I'm sure my cousins can agree is genetic. His father, Poppa, was the same way. I can truly say that he ruined my sister and I because today's generation of men, generally, are not.

These pictures were fun. I love the touch of color against the blinding white marble. Look at the curls of the petals in th.
is closeup. Click on the image for a closer look.

I love to see the art of nature accompanied by the craft work of man. Sometimes the beauty coming from the combination of the two is perfect. Spring and fall (in my opinion) are perfect examples God's art projects at His best. Charlee Anne is so sweet. Everytime she notices the colors in the sky at sunset, she says, "Look, God's been painting."

What I love the most are the sweet reminders of my Nana and Poppa. In the first posted picture (at the beginning of this blog), we have Nana's urns at the entrance of the rose garden.

There's the pond, which is so much like being in Aiken, SC at Poppa's "Rainbow's End".

Then we have his "Rainbow's End" sign.

We also have sweet little girl and bird statue which reminds me of Nana's sad statue (I believe Aunt Stacy now has) of a brokenhearted girl holding a dead bird.

I even noticed that this old, hand painted water pump has Martin written on it. (Martin is Poppa.)

These last two pics are random yet still pretty enough to post.

2008-04-29T23:56:00.008-04:00

Baked goods rock!

Around two years ago, I found the www.so-charmed.com/ site of a spunky, "Charm City" gal named Jodi Bloom. Her livelyhood seems to be charm bracelets. At one point, she displayed a new series of necklaces entitled "Let them eat cake". It was love at first sight on many levels. The tiny skulls sparked an interest leading me to learn of the lovely history of El Dia de los Muertos - translated as Day of the Dead, a beautiful Spanish holiday of which (most commonly) Mexicans celebrate in remembrance of their deceased loved ones. The guillotine, fork, and cake are used as cute, historical reference to Marie Antoinette. Pretty nifty, you say? That's what I think. Anyway, this was the first of my loves for miniature cakes, and from then on my search for more...began.

I was later directed to www.etsy.com/. This is a wonderful site dedicated to artists and their handmade crafts. What a wonderful place. It's kind of like Oz to me. With each item that an etsy seller posts, there is a materials: section. This, obviously, tells the viewer what supplies and/or materials were used to create the item. How nice. Thus, I found out about polymer clay...again. I mean, I used the stuff back in elemetary school, but I had no idea that it made one of my most desired sweet treats. I went to Michael's last week to get some. To my delight, the stuff was CHEAP! It was on sale for $0.99 a block. Lucky me. I gave myself $100 of my tax return to get some polymer, tools, findings, magnet stones, and other stuff to play with. I did try to be smart. They had every color of Premo in God's green earth. I bought my primaries, white, black, translucent, pearl, and about 5-6 funky colors that I wasn't too confident in being able to get from mixing myself. I spent $84 and some change in total. Not bad, if I do say so.

I did two projects this past weekend. The first was the chocolate & pink layer cake magnet. I made it for my sister, Lexi, as a "thanks" for keeping my two little ones overnight on Friday. She's turned into the "cool aunt" because she takes them to Chucky Cheese...whatever. I'm a cool mom too, without the Chucky Cheese factor. :)

The second is the "Cupcake Takeout" charm. I made this one for my close friend, Sadie, just because she is most awesome. My husband, Chris, said that it makes him think of the Cat in the Hat movie. I'm not sure why, but okay...to each their own. Everything is made of the polymer clay except the little sprinkles are glass beads. I painted a gloss on them both after baking, and Voila!

My next projects will be for my nephew. He saw Sadie's cupcake and loved it. He'll be 7 (or is it 8) on Cinco de Mayo - May 5th, so I figure I can make him three treats. I'm thinking a soccer ball cupcake, a bitten chocolate chip cookie, and I'm stumped on the third. His party is Saturday which means I've got to come up with something quick and get crackin'.