My Favorites ~ Susie Q's Game

I seen this all around blogville so I thought I would play Susie's fun game too. Have a good day and play along if you feel like it.


Sport: baseball
Game: Trivial Pursuit
Color: pink (duh)
Movie: Do I have to pick just one?? LOL Okay I'll pick Gone With The Wind.
Broadway play I have seen: Not sure
Broadway Musical I have seen: Jersey Boys
Song: Redeemer by Nicole C Mullen
American city I have visited: San Francisco
Foreign city I have visited:Rome (can someone send me back there?) LOL
Book:Anything Karen Kingsbury wrote
Children's Book: Grouchy Lady Bug
Classic television show: Is Love Boat consider a classic? LOL
Recent television show:Lost
Actor: Harrison Ford
Actress: Meg Ryan (my uncle thinks I look like her, he's half blind) LOL
Perfume: Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche
Food: Sea Bass
Dessert: Tiramisu
Chain Restaurant: Subway
Local Restaurant: Boca's in Oakley (their caramelized brussel sprouts are heaven, yea I said brussel sprouts)
Car: Black Lexus
Condiment:Mustard
Kitchen Appliance: Cuisinart Coffee Maker (this baby grinds the beans before it makes my coffee)
Home Appliance: My camera (Is that really considered a home appliance? But I can't live without it.)
Beauty Product: My Oil of Olay moisturizer
Piece of clothing: T Shirt
HGTV Show: House Hunters
Food Network show: Paula's Home Cooking (we're BFF's)
Author: Karen Kingsbury
Male Songwriter: Paul McCartney
Female Songwriter:Don't know of any
Holiday: Thanksgiving
Ballet I have seen: Nutcracker
Disney character: Marie (Aristocats)
Flower: I love it whenever I get any flowers, doesn't matter what kind
Alcoholic drink: Red wine
Non-Alcoholic drink:Coffee
Magazine: Coastal Living (a girl can dream, can't she?)
Animated movie: Aristocats (I watch it ten times a day with Maddie)
Television network miniseries: HBO John Adams (everyone should watch this)
Season:Summer, Summer, Summer.....(notice a pattern here?)
Male vocalist: Chris Issack
Female vocalist: Nicole C. Mullen (when she sings I know my Redeemer lives, it gives me goosebumps)
Day of the week:Friday (date night)
Household Chore: Cleaning my wood floors (I'm a bit ocd about them)
Ice Cream:Graeters Mocha Chocolate Chip (you haven't lived until you had it)
Candy: Dark Chocolate M & M's
Artist:Monet
Quote: The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller

Let's Play!!

Donna has made an awesome new blog for Brenda's Photo Challenge. Go here to check it out and sign up for the next challenge which will be on August 9th and the theme is "PLAY". Sharon from Funky Fairy Frolics is our hostess for the fun this time. I think this will be a much easier way to keep track of everyone who's playing. A big thanks to Brenda for starting this fun challenge. So I am going to take down my links to everyone on my sidebar and put a link to the new photo blog. I will add everyone's blogs to my list of favorite blog travelers on my sidebar. Happy Tuesday! I am heading off to get my toes done this afternoon.(YAY) I am also behind in my blog reading (again). All I can say is that I've been busy with things and I will get around to visiting everyone soon because I do miss my visits with ya'll.

Weekend fun, an Award and Bugs

Okay my Texas Christmas loving blogging buddies, Donna and Kari! I know you two love Christmas so you both would have loved the Christmas in July party we went to this weekend. My son works at a restaurant/bar in downtown Cincy and they were having a Christmas in July party on Friday night. The place was decorated for Christmas, I'm not sure why my photo of the Christmas tree is crooked, I can't figure out if it was the tree or me. LOL But Santa was there, that top left photo is Santa with my sister Gail. Santa was passing out presents and his helpers were passing out Christmas cookies. I'm pretty sure Santa was not drinking milk, unless milk comes in a bottle that looks like beer. :-) They gave away an IPhone, a snowboard and a Saks gift certificate. I didn't win any of them and I really wanted the IPhone but I think since my son works there I probably wasn't eligible anyway. The bottom right photo is of me and my niece Stephanie at the party. Isn't she so pretty? They also played Christmas music the whole night. Christmas in July is a great idea and I think everyone had a good time.
I also went out to eat with some old co workers on Thursday night. We went to the Olive Garden (yum, yum). I worked with these gals at my first Travel Agency and we have been friends ever since. It amazes me that we still get together a few times a year. Our agency went out of business in December of 2001 because of the after effects of 9/11 and Kim and Elmira went on to work in other businesses. I was the only one who stayed in travel. That's Kim in the front and Elmira in the back left and me in the right of the photo. But we all have a love of traveling so it's always fun to get together and catch up. I went out to eat on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night and my scales are showing it today. LOL
And my good blogging buddy Kat has given me this special award. Thank you so much Kat, I love this. I just cannot pick a few of you guys because all of you who visit me and whom I visit make me smile and laugh and make my day and you all leave me uplifting comments so I am passing this on to all of my blogging buddies. Now my blogroll is not updated (again," sigh") so if you are reading this, this award belongs to you, I mean it, take this award because you all deserve it. Here are the rules: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **Link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same** (Visit (Memoirs of a Mommy)for the story behind this award .
Okay now for the yucky part of this post. Let me explain something first. My sweetie and I are planning a project for our backyard in the Fall. Right now we have a two tier deck and a wooden fence that surrounds our pool, that's alot of wood and it is very old as in rotting old so it's all coming down. I'll share more as we get more into the project. Right now it looks like we going with pavers in place of the decks and add some kind of pond/fountain and the new fence is still being worked out. We need a fence around the pool but we didn't want to go with wood again. So we are in the process of getting estimates and going from there. Who knew fences could be so expensive? Anyway, back to these photos and how they relate to the project. There is a Magnolia tree that sits in between the two decks and as we were going around the backyard last night we realized the Magnolia tree would have to come down. There is no saving it, it has gown around the decks in an odd position and just would not look right with the new landscaping. It makes me sad because that little tree is so beautiful in the Spring. So anyway, we are looking at this little tree and I see these things on it that look like buds on the tree. So I of course got my camera thinking they were some kind of new buds growing and took a few shots. Some with the flash and some without. Well, I download it on my computer and realized these are not buds but bugs and they are all over the little tree. I'm not a fan of bugs. Does anyone know what these little guys are? If you click on the photos you can see they are some kind of bug. Now I can't go past the little tree without looking at all the bugs. Well, that's it for my ramblings today. Hope I didn't totally bore everyone to death. Now I am off to catch up on some blog reading. Have a great Monday!

Brenda's Photo Challenge ~ Numbers

Our theme for Brenda's Photo Challenge is Numbers today and our hostess is Karen from Loved and Engraved. This one made me think of just how much we use numbers day in and out. You know you use numbers for a variety of things everyday but you just don't think about it as you go on with your daily life. Anyway thanks Karen for being the hostess, it was fun! Go over to her site to see who's all playing.

Numbers we're not happy to see! LOL The Reds were losing and went on to lose the game. :-(

Numbers we are REALLY not happy to see.

And numbers we have to obey. Well, some of us obey them. LOL

That's it for me. I can't wait to see everyone's photos. Happy Weekend!!

Happy Blogoversary to Me!!

Okay, I just realized that today is my one year blogoversary! I hadn't even planned on posting today but I got a comment that said Happy Blogoversary and then I realized it was one year since I wrote this. I don't know what I thought when I started blogging. I had been lurking around reading everyone's blogs for awhile and thought it looked like fun and one day I just decided to do it and I am so glad I did. I have met some of the nicest and kindest people through this blogging adventure. I am positive if I ever needed any of you guys to pray for me I would have many prayers going up to heaven. I never thought I could make what I feel are true friends in this way. I have changed my blog's look many, many times. LOL And I'll change it again just because it's fun. I have gone out of my comfort zone a few times but you guys have always been an encouragement. So many things have changed in a year, I have two new grandbabies and feel so blessed. Anyway, thanks so much for visiting me because I know your days are busy and full and I hope one day I get to meet some of my blogging buddies. I had thought of doing some kind of giveaway for my one year blogoversary but since it kind of came up on me I'll have to do some thinking about what or when.

Mama Mia, an Award and Random Photos

Yesterday I started the morning off watching Sydney and Maddie while Mama ran a few errands and while she was gone I was peed on, poop on and puked on. LOL So I thought it would be a good day to get out and see Mama Mia, the movie. Oh boy was this so much fun! I love it, I really did. First off I am a huge Abba fan. And I loved the Broadway show so I wasn't sure how it would play out in a movie. It was a blast. The actors looked like they were having fun in this movie. And Meryl Streep, all I can say is WOW. I thought she was older then me but it looked like she had some pretty good moves going on and she didn't sing half bad, now Pierce Bronson singing could have used some help but I was having so much fun I didn't even care. I have decided I want to go to Greece because this scenery was gorgeous. Even the lighting was gorgeous the whole movie. Anyway if you are a big Abba fan and a fan of the Broadway show, I really think you will like this movie. I went by myself because I knew my sweetie wouldn't enjoy this type of movie but I am hoping he'll go to see the Broadway show with me when it comes back to Cincy next year. Please, pretty please sweetie??? LOL
And I also had a surprise for me from a new blogging buddy Donna from Cottage Days and Journeys. We met through Brenda's Photo Challenge and I have so enjoyed getting to know her. Do yourself a favor and pop over to her blog and pay her a visit, you will enjoy it. Anyway I want to thank you so much for this award, it means so much to me when my blogging friends think of me. I have already passed this award on to all of my blogging friends but if you didn't get it before please accept it now because like I said before you are all brillante!
Okay, speaking of Brenda's Photo Challenge. The next challenge is this Saturday, July 26th and Karen is our hostess and the theme is numbers and you still have plenty of time to join in on the fun. But remember when the theme was orange a few weeks back? Well my sweetie and I were in downtown Cincy this weekend. We didn't make it to the Reds game Saturday night but went out to eat instead and look at what I seen on our Fountain Square. Orange porta potties all lined up. Okay now where was this photo when I needed it for the orange Photo Challenge? LOL I thought you gals from the Photo Challenge would get a kick out of it.
And a few feet from the porto potties was this pretty flower. Now I am not a gardener. I do not know the names of flowers. I just plant my flowers every Spring and feed them Miracle Grow and that's the extent of my gardening. But I thought this yellow baby was so pretty. Growing right in the middle of the concrete downtown. So pretty.....................

And last but not least we brought Maddie's tunnel thingy out for her to play in last night and she had a ball. These little things are fun for kids!! Anyway that's it for me today. I've been singing Abba songs all night and day. LOL They do get stuck in your head so go out and see Mama Mia and you'll be singing them too. LOL Have a good one!!

Travel Tuesday ~ Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Sea

I know it's been forever since I have done a Travel Tuesday and I've missed taking trips. So today we are going on a cruise. This particular ship is not even out on the sea yet but it is creating alot of buzz in the travel business. Why? Well, I am glad you asked. The biggest talk centers around the massive "Central Park" at the center of the ship that has trees, live grass and outdoor restaurants. Royal Caribbean will be launching a new line of these ships in the coming years with the Oasis to come out in 2009. The Central Park area will run the length of a football field down the center of the ship and will be lined with five decks of cabins and will be open to the air six decks above. If it's raining outside of the ship it'll be raining in the Central Park area also. Below are pictures of what the ship will look like. Okay so why am I so excited about this ship? Well, it will be something new and interesting and the ship will be a destination in itself. I am a big fan of Royal Caribbean and I do hope I get to see this beauty someday.


There will be 254 cabins with balconies that overlook Central Park and you can people watch all day and night.
During the day the Central Park area is designed for a quiet peaceful area to hang out but at night there will be alfresco dining and outdoor concerts.
The park will be surrounded by five or six restaurants and bars. One of the bars is being billed as the first moving at sea bar. It's called the Rising Tide and it will slowly glide up and down three decks from the base level of Central Park downward to the lower levels of the ships. It'll be a big ship weighing in at 225,000 ton and able to hold 5,400 passengers. It's amazing to me that these ships are so massive. Just a note, big gigantic ships are not everyone's cup of tea. I know that. I've been on small ships and I've been on big ones and have enjoyed the different things that each one offers. Personally I just love to cruise. Hope you enjoyed a look at what's new and exciting in the world of cruising. Happy Tuesday!!

Princess Cleo

Princess Cleo allowed me to take some photos of her this weekend. All of you cat owners know exactly what I mean when I say allowed. Dogs will do anything you want, cats do everything on their terms. LOL Anyway in this bottom photo I think there should be a caption that says "don't hate me because I'm beautiful." :-)

We also had some pretty powerful storms run through here last night. The above photo was right as the storm hit and the bottom was afterwards when the sun was going down. There was alot of lightning with this storm. Anyway, that's it for me today. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

New Creation

Thanks for everyone's sweet comments on my whining and key chains, sometimes a gal just has to whine, ya know?? But I feel much better today and I am still working on my home office. We have moved my office to another room in the house and it looks like it will work much better for me. First I get better reception for my computer with the wireless router and the room is set up better to be an office. I just need to clean out some junk and hang some pictures.
Just wanted to post this verse. I have these little cards on my desk with various Bible verses and the one above is one I keep with me in whichever book I am reading at the moment and use it as a bookmark. I also put them in cards that I send to people as an encouragement. I love this verse! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. It is hot, hot , hot here in Cincinnati today. We were suppose to go the the Cincinnati Reds baseball game but it might be just too hot for that. We'll see. Have a great weekend!!

A Blubbering Mess

I've always have loved this photo. It makes me feel peaceful just looking at it. It came on my Dell laptop. Anyway, I've been feeling the need to go somewhere this peaceful lately. To be honest with you guys, menopause symptoms have been kicking my butt this week. First I'm having problems sleeping and then my face breaks out in huge red pimples. They look like lighthouse beacons screaming "look at me on the face of a 52 year." LOL And then because of the lack of good sleep and too much caffeine I have become this blubbering crying mess. Dr. Doogie Howser, aka my ob/gyn tells me this too shall pass. Ha, I like to have something passed on to him(oops, not very nice). Just kidding. I'll be fine, just need to get me some zzzz's and I'll be back to my semi blubbering self. Since I was up at 530am again this morning I did get to see the moon, it was gorgeous, all orange and round but I could not get a good photo of it. If anyone knows how to take a photo of the moon, will you please tell me? My photos I tried to take of it looked just like a blubbering mess(hey just like me) LOL Okay I'm done with my little whining jig, now on to fun stuff. I've been making jewelry again, I don't know why I stopped because I really did enjoy this hobby. But there are so many hobbies I enjoy and once I get all my photos in order I want to make some scrapbooks for my kids and grandkids but anyway back to jewelry making. I strictly do this for fun and only know how to do simple projects. I have done more complex things but not in awhile. Anyway, I was experimenting with making key chains this week. The first two in the photo were just practice ones and I will probably take them apart and restring them but the last one with my name, I really liked and have put it on my keychain. What do you think? Do you think people would like the name one as a Christmas present? It's all swarovski crystal and sterling and I can put any charm at the bottom, I just like starfish. I am making my daughter Melissa ones with Sydney and Maddie's name on it. Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'm off to run some errands and then have lunch with my Dad. Let's just hope nothing sets off the blubbering mess girl today. LOL

A snake and a visit with Cameron

Yesterday morning when my sister June and my niece Allison were walking, we came across this little guy on the path. I seen him and at first thought it was a stick but then quickly realized it was a snake. Yuck, we all screamed and Allison grabbed Coco the wonder dog so the snake wouldn't get her. The funny thing is other walkers and runners would just run by it like it wasn't even there. I don't see how since it was taking up half the walking path. Maybe we are the only ones with a fear of snakes. LOL

Is it just me or is he scary looking???
Here's Coco, it was also her one year old birthday yesterday. Not the best photo of her but you can see how little she is.
And then my daughter Melissa and my granddaughters Maddie and Sydney went over to see my grandson Cameron. Isn't he just so cute in this photo? I love his little hat.

Maddie decided to jump in Cameron's baby pool, clothes and all. She had her shoes on too but we finally got her to take them off. It was in the 90's here yesterday and is suppose to be hot again today. Look at how much fun she was having!! Busy, busy day today. I am cleaning out my home office today and it is a mess. My desk is filled with photos from years ago so my daughter Melissa is helping me and we are taking all the photos and putting them into categories and go from there. That's alot of work. But it needs to be done. Not much fun but sometimes you just got to do it. Have a great Thursday!!

Can you see these photos??

I had a few comments on the post below that the photos aren't coming across which is so strange because I am able to see them on my computer so if you come by will you let me know if you can see these? Thanks!! I'm trying to figure out if it's a computer problem or blogger problem. I have explained all of the photos in the post below. First photo is the hummingbird moth and the next two are the sunrise this morning.

This and That Wednesday

For some reason I have been waking up at 530am this week and cannot go back to sleep. I do not have to get up at 530am so it's kind of frustrating to just lay there wide awake. So I have been getting some work done around the house before I meet my sister June to go walking. This morning there was quite a show in the sky with the sunrise so of course I had to grab my camera and take a few photos of the sunrise. Usually when the sky is that orange it means it's going to be a hot day in Cincy and the weather guys are telling me it's going to be in the 90's. Stay cool if you are in this heat and have a great day!!


If you click on this top one you can see a bird in between the wires.
Okay, here's a question for you. Has anyone ever heard of a Hummingbird moth? Look at the photo below. On the left hand side off to the side of the flowers you can see a creature hovering(click on it to make it bigger). I was in Indiana on Monday hanging with my good buddy Vickie and making some jewelry when she showed me these guys. At first I thought they were regular hummingbirds but they are smaller. But they are fast and zoom around like hummingbirds do, so it was really hard to get a photo of one. So has anyone heard of these guys before? And are they bugs or birds? Okay, I know I'm a city gal but I really never seen one before and they were all over her garden out in the country.

And just because I thought this last one was funny and reminds me of myself sometimes. Did you ever stop to think and then forget to start again? The dog cracks me up everytime. Have a great day!!