TV Thursday – Star Trek!

I am once again a little late, but I simply had to join this week’s discussion! I am a long time fan of Star Trek! I used to watch Spock, Kirk, and Bones explore the galaxy with my dad when I was little. I grew into The Next Generation which is still a favorite. I have watched all the movies and am currently making my way through Star Trek the Animated Series. I’ve seen some of Deep Space Nine and Voyager and was an avid watcher of Enterprise. Obviously, I love all things Trek. One of my favorite memories was a Saturday Star Trek-a-thon my dad and I had before going to see Star Trek VI. Yes, we spent an entire day watching 5 movies and then went to the theater the following weekend! It was fun and fabulous! My sweetheart and I saw the newest Star Trek movie in the theater twice and I am excited to hear about it’s coming DVD release. I so loved the new movie that I can’t wait to see it again! As for the question of my favorite Trek goodness, it is without a doubt The Original Series and The Next Generation.

TV Thursday

I know it isn’t Thursday.  I just found this meme over at Gofita’s Pages and wanted to participate.  Mondays and Thursdays are prime TV times at our house due to Bones and House.

Dr. House is quite the grouch and we love him for it.  He is played by Hugh Laurie who is known for his work on Black Adder and Jeeves and Wooster.   Dr. House is a genius diagnostician.  He rarely “sees” a patient.  He has hired a team of doctors who do most of the work, but without House’s mind would be completely lost.

Bones is a unique cop show.  Agent Booth of the FBI has teamed up with Temperance Brennan of the Smithsonian to solve crimes.  I love the chemistry between these two characters.  The show is just fabulous!

We really watch very little TV anymore, but these two shows keep me coming back for more.

Fashion Advice Finally Worked!

Have you ever been flipping through a fashion magazine and read the advice about mixing and matching pieces from your wardrobe to create new, fun outfits? They will suggest things like pairing that ruffled shirt from two seasons ago with a boyfriend blazer and skinny jeans. It sounds so good and easy. The picture they show is so cute. Then you remember you never bought a ruffle shirt two seasons ago. And skinny jeans are just not your style. I can’t help thinking sometimes that these people would go into shock if they had to shop in my neck of the woods instead New York City. Well, lastnight I was perusing my favorite mags in search of the height of this year’s fall fashion. I noticed the scarves and an idea began to form in the back of my mind. I soon found myself in the bedroom with my favorite khaki skirt, two v-neck t-shirts (one black and one navy blue), a v-neck navy blue ribbed short-sleeved sweater, and a number of scarves I already owned. I’m standing next to the bed looking at this assortment and suddenly a number of different, cute and trendy outfits appeared before my very eyes. One of these was carefully chosen to wear to church service this morning.

Isn’t it cute? I was just giddy with excitement! I even thought that one could exchange the skirt for jeans or trousers. Even more fun outfits! I believe I may have made a fashion breakthrough! I know its completely frivolous, but fashion can sometimes be quite fun!

Everything Austen Challenge!

Recently, while on Goodreads, I discovered that Stephanie of Stephanie’s Written Word had issued an Everything Austen Challenge. The idea is to watch and/or read everything Austen between now and January 1, 2010. She asked that participants choose 6 items to watch/read. I want to take a moment to say a BIG THANK YOU to Stephanie for setting up this challenge and mostly for allowing me to enter. I was a bit late discovering this awesome challenge! I have decided to watch three movies and read three books. Here is my list:

Movies:
Mansfield Park
Persuasion
Lost in Austen

Books:
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre

I am looking forward to this challenge! It is going to be so much fun!

Drumsticks!!! Ice Cream Fun!

These drumsticks are perhaps my favorite ice cream treats. Recently, I discovered a receipe for making my own fun treats. I haven’t had a opportunity yet to try it out, but I am excited at the prospect. Click here, for the directions and have a little summer fun!

And if a full size cone is a bit much, then visit your local grocer and try these new mini cones from Nestle. They are a perfect treat!

“There’s No Place Like Home”

We had a wonderful time visiting family, yet I am glad to be home! Unpacking has been quite fun! My mom decided to do a bit of Spring Cleaning this year and found a bunch of old dolls that my Aunt Shirley and my grandma made for me and my sister and as well as some that were gifts. I brought home two Rubbermaid tubs full of dolls, doll clothes, and a few dresses I wore as a baby. Add to that the box of books I brought home as well as the bit of shopping we did and the car was completely loaded down. Nearly everything has been put away. I still have an old doll that I found at the flea market in Poteau to clean. I have a crocheted purse that turns into a bassinet that my grandma made. The little doll is to go in it. And that box of books is still waiting for me. Three book shelves just simply won’t cut it for a true reader. My shelving dilemma has me putting off tackling the box. I’m not complaining, though. More books than shelves is a wonderful problem to have! Childhood memories, shopping, books, fireworks, weinie roast, and fun, fun, fun is a perfect description of our little family holiday. I’ll leave you with a few pics of our time together.

Holding those little feet, she was just too cute!

My Aunt Shirley has a big backyard with a lovely sitting area. We spent a great deal of time out there.

This is what happens when you light an entire package of smoke bombs at once. It was really kind of pretty.

Grammie and Kyleigh.

My sweet, silly husband hamming it up for the camera!

Three sweet, beautiful kiddos!

Attack of the Honey Bees

I kept my nephews Wednesday and Thursday lastweek and then we babysat/housesat for some friends over the weekend. Again, I kept my nephews on Monday and Tuesday. I had been looking forward to a bit of break and a chance to catch up on reading and household chores. Just when I thought my wish was coming true and I could relax the honey bees arrived!

One little bee doesn’t seem too threatening. Now try to imagine around two thousand of these little honey bees in your kitchen and laundry room. This has been the adventure of the day. I stepped into the kitchen this afternoon only to discover a couple dozen bees. I immediately stepped out and called my dear husband. He came home from work for a few minutes to help assess the situation. Now, I am more than capable of handling such situations myself, however, Hubby and I are both allergic and in my moment of panic I forgot about our pest control contract. So hubby came home, and we called our pest control service to ask for help and they suggested we sit tight until Saturday. I attempted to calmly explain that that would not work for us. So, they agreed to come at around 6:30 PM. We closed the kitchen door and hubby returned to work. Let me just take a moment to say how grateful and blessed we are in my husband’s current employment. He is close to home and works with some wonderful people. Later, when he returned home he went to inspect the kitchen and noticed some bees outside the kitchen window. He went outside to check and found a cloud of bees. He dragged me outside to see for myself. This cloud of swarming honeybees went from the ground up to about a foot and half above the roof and from the house to just past the wellhouse about fifteen feet away. The cloud had vanished by the time pest control arrived. They found them in the laundry room. Apparently they had found a way in and had decided to take up housekeeping. A bomb or two were set off and we were immediately and unexpectedly evicted for the night. Again, we are blessed to have wonderful friends, one of which immediately offered a bed. We are hoping the bees will be gone by tomorrow evening and we will be given the all clear by pest control. Life is such an adventure!

Editor’s Note:  We were given the all the clear on Friday night and are safely back in our house.  Cleaning up is turning out to be a real hoot!  All the kitchen surfaces must be cleaned as well as all the dishes.  Also, most of our clothes were hanging in the laundry room and now all of them must be washed.  We’ve been working in the kitchen and are nearly ready to begin in the laundry room.  We did get tickled upon realizing that the cleaning supplies which we keep in the Laundry would need to be cleaned before use.  This led to the purchase of cleaning supplies to clean our cleaning supplies.  Things are a little chaotic, but we are blessed.  No one was hurt, clothes and such can be washed, and we have wonderful loving family and friends.  I want to thank all of you for your well wishes and sweet words!

Wheelbarrows and Cheese Dreams

Sometime ago I showed you a couple of Betty Crocker Cookbooks I found at the flea market. I promised to share a little from each book at a later time. Here is the first of many installments. All of the following pictures came from the pages of Betty Crocker’s Good and Easy Cook Book circa 1954.

I love the idea of an afternoon tea party. It sounds like so much fun!

I have encountered popovers while reading such things as Little Women. I hope to find out now just what a popover is and how it tastes.

The following two pages will give one all one needs to know about proper lunchboxes and preparing the proper lunch. My husband is quite excited as now I will know how prepare him an appetizing, 4-star boxed lunch.

Some helpful instructions for making a wonderful sandwich.

Ever thought of cooking your food in a wheelbarrow? Now you can make that dream come true!


Hubby says, “Talk about a meal on the go!”

Ever wonder just how long some standard menus have been around?

A grill cheese sandwich will never cross these lips again! From now on I will eat only “Cheese Dreams!”

I hope you have enjoyed this little journey through a cook book. All kidding aside, I found some lovely recipes and ideas in this little book which I am looking forward to trying. Remember to always look for gems of joy!

A Very Profitable Outing!

I was quite excited to discover, Friday night, that my favorite flea market is now opened until 6 o’clock. I was equally excited to find this lovely little cameo music box hiding among the booths. Following the flea market we visited another favorite haunt, Big Lots. I am not sure if Big Lots is a national chain or just here in the south, but if you like old movies and have one near you then you simply must pay them a visit. From time to time they get in a new crop of movies which sell for $3 apiece. Right now they have a wonderful assortment of old movies. We found Cary Grant, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelley, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Greta Garbo, Viven Leigh, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Red Skelton, and Doris Day. We also found a copy of The 3 Worlds of Gulliver with special effects by Ray Harryhausen. I mention this for anyone, like myself, who happens to enjoy Harryhausen movies. We couldn’t buy everything we found, but did come home with a wonderful assortment of old movies. I am ready for a movie marathon!!! As we are leaving the parking lot and discussing the amount of money just spent, hubby spotted another treat – First Place Records! An honest to goodness record store in Texarkana, Texas. It is owned and operated by a record collector and lover of music, Johnny L. Cunningham. We had so much fun visiting with Mr. Cunningham and talking music and LPs. He has a wonderful collection and is quite knowledgeable. We managed to keep our purchases at a small handful.

You can find First Place Records in the Oaklawn shopping center on New Boston Road. It is located next to the Oaklawn Opry and is facing Big Lots and the Attic. It was an exciting, profitable, and lovely evening!

Peep Trivia

These little bunnies are my all-time favorite Easter candy, so in honor of the season here’s a bit of Peeps trivia courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

1. It takes 6 minutes to make one Peeps chick.
2. Original Peeps have a shelf life of 2 years.
3. More than 5 million Peeps are produced each day.
4. Peeps have been the most popular nonchocolate Easter candy in the US for more than a decade.