Monthly Archives: February 2016

Weekend Wanderings

Posted in Weekend Wanderings by

Hello, dear Vixens!!!  How are all of you?  Happy Leap Day!!!

So now that we are practically in March, I am buckling down to get my apartment in order. Despite the fact that it is a studio, I am still a little overwhelmed by how much I have to do between unpacking, painting some recycled furniture and deciding what to display, pack away or purge.

To make it easier, I decided to use this month to focus on the sleeping area only.  I figure if I get one spot done, it will give me a sense of accomplishment and inspire me to continue decorating & organizing the rest of my place.

I spent a lot of time on Pinterest this weekend (no estate sales AGAIN 😦  ) and found some great inspiration, along with some pictures of my bed frame (below).  I have had it about 15 years now and still love it.  But, I no longer love the color.

Pinterest 1     Pinterest 2a

Sources (l to r):  Pinterest/Humbleabode.com & Pinterest/Hookedonhouses.net

Now I am more into the neutral, shabby chic look so I am going to attempt to paint it white.  Below is a different frame, but see how the white color gives the room a whole different feel?  That is the look I am going for.  Wish me luck that my paint job is successful!!!

Pinterest 3    Source:  Pinterest/Shabbyinlove.blogspot.com

Did you watch the Oscars last night?  You know I did.  I loved that the opening montage included a clip of “The Peanuts Movie” 🙂  .  Were you surprised by any of the winners?  And how about the dresses? Below are some of my favorites.  I thought Jennifer Garner’s shoes were gorgeous and Sylvester Stallone is still as handsome as ever (swoon).  I was sorry he did not win for Best Supporting Actor, but it was great to see him in a tux!!!

          

L-R:  Tina Fey, Kerry Washington & Jennifer Garner (All three pictures courtesy of Getty Images).

    

L-R:  Julianne Moore, Sylvester Stallone & wife Jennifer Flavin and Sofia Vergara (All three pictures courtesy of Getty Images).

          

L-R:  Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher & Reese Witherspoon (All three pictures courtesy of Getty Images).

I did not see any of the nominees for Best Picture yet, but I definitely want to watch three of them:  “Spotlight“, “Room” and “Brooklyn“.

How about you?  What did you do this weekend?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy digging!!!

Weekend Wanderings

Posted in Weekend Wanderings by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!!

Were you as sad as I was at the passing of Harper Lee?  Her beautiful novel and the movie based on it are two of my favorite things EVER, and arguably two of our country’s greatest treasures.  The scene where Scout takes Boo Radley’s hand as he is “petting” Jem brings me to tears every time I see it.  What a world it would be if all lawyers were as fair and as rational as Atticus Finch.  Rest in peace, Ms. Lee, & thank you for sharing your childhood with us.

Harper Lee 1861     To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee in 1961 (Source:  Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection, via Getty Images) & Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in a still from the film “To Kill A Mockingbird” (Universal Studios 1962).

Friday I had to drive an hour into the country for a work related meeting, so I had the chance to see some open farm land up close, complete with some very beautiful brown cows.  Some days I feel like life on a farm would be heavenly. Friday was one of those days 🙂

IMG_0530[1]     IMG_0527[1]

So last weekend, we had subzero temperatures.  This weekend?  Over 50 degrees both Saturday and Sunday (see below for proof).  Crazy!!!  I know a lot of people and many bloggers have spring fever, but I am not ready for the change of seasons yet.  I am one of those square pegs who enjoys winter, and with the first day of spring still a month away, I am not looking ahead just yet.  But I must admit a deep breath of that spring like air felt heavenly.  And I do need to dig at a really packed estate sale soon so that is the one part of spring I cannot wait for!!!  I was shut out AGAIN this weekend 😦  !!!

IMG_0558[1]          IMG_0562[1]

Saturday’s and Sunday’s temperatures readings!!!

Saturday marked the anniversary of Ansel Adams birth.  He is one of my favorite artists and one of the reasons why I am so enamored with black & white photography.  When I grow up, I hope I am lucky enough to be a photographer and an environmentalist, too.  Here is one of my most loved pictures by him:

Ansel Adams 1948

Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain, Yosemite Valley c. 1948 (Source:  The Trustees of the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust).  

As much as I love his landscapes of nature, I am equally in love with his lessor known works of buildings and city pictures.  I discovered them over a decade ago when a local museum had a show featuring the work Adams did for Kodak when they first released the Polaroid camera and asked him for his opinion on it.  The exhibit lead me to look more into Adams life, where I discovered pictures he took of some Los Angeles streets when he was on assignment for Fortune Magazine in 1940.  Talk about vintage beauty!!!  Swoon!!!

ansel-adams-the-pup

Ocean Front Promenade, Santa Monica Courtesy Los Angeles Public Library and drkrm Gallery

Ocean Front Promenade, Santa Monica Courtesy Los Angeles Public Library and drkrm Gallery.

There will be an exhibit of his work in Cooperstown, NY later this year which I plan to attend.  To find out if any of Ansel Adams exhibits are coming to your area, check the schedule here.

Sunday I was looking forward to a nice day of being lazy and relaxing and maybe some unpacking. None of those things happened.  I worked, did some food shopping (my least favorite chore EVER) and then some more work at home via paperwork.  Maybe next weekend I can relax at some local sales!!!  And perhaps get my groceries delivered 🙂  ???  But as usual my travels took me along some scenic routes, which always makes me happy.  I think even bare trees are pretty.  Nature is nature.

IMG_0564[1]

I do have two music related thoughts to share:  So happy for Ed Sheeran on his “Song of the Year” Grammy Award for my favorite song of 2015, “Thinking Out Loud” (kudos also to Amy Wadge who co-wrote the tune with him, as the award is for the composers).  And one of my favorite singers of all time, Steve Winwood, has a daughter named Lilly who is also a singer and she inherited her father’s talent for blue eyed soul.  They harmonize beautifully together for a new version of “Higher Love” which they recorded for the latest Hershey’s ad.  The only thing missing from the heartfelt and touching commercial is a puppy!!!

So, how did you spend your weekend?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy digging!!!

 

Weekend Wanderings

Posted in Weekend Wanderings by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Have my fellow East Coasters thawed yet from the sub-zero temperatures we had this weekend??? Brrrrrrrrrr!!!  But I must admit I do find the frigid air a little exhilarating (in very small doses), plus it is great cuddling weather so it is not all bad, right?!?!

Despite how cold it was, I went out and about.  Unfortunately, not to any estate sales as there still are not any in my area, so I checked out a few thrift stores and Goodwill.  Nothing really spoke to me, but I did enjoy looking.  I miss that.

Then I did my usual exploring around the back roads of CT.  During my travels, I came across what looked like an old airplane in a make shift hangar, sitting at the end of a farm. I thought it was a pretty neat discovery.

IMG_0514[1]

IMG_0515[1]

I also went down a country road that has become one of my favorite routes.  In the fall, I came across this beautiful tree, and thought I would take a picture of it in winter to document the whole different seasons, different views thing.

IMG_0401[1]

IMG_0517[1]

Kind of cool, right?  Got to love nature and the seasons 🙂

Saturday night I was introduced to a great place to eat, the White Horse Pub & Restaurant.  What a fantastic place with delicious food!!!  I had the Pear and Blue Cheese Salad and a heaping bowl of French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese.  Sensational.  I took pictures but they barely came out do to the low lighting in the place (it was the night before Valentine’s Day, after all).  This is just my humble opinion and not a sponsored post.  I am just sharing a great find with you, since you may be new to the area like me so referrals are quite helpful!!!

Sunday was all about some chores, a few errands and a quick trip to the library.  A friend recommended a book to me:  “The Forgetting Time” by Sharon Guskin.  I picked that up and will begin reading that and my book club selection this week.  I love to snuggle under the covers and immerse myself in good reads when it is this cold.  And in great movies, too.  TCM showed “Adam’s Rib“*** and “Now, Voyager“*** yesterday-two of my all time favorites.  Tracy and Hepburn are my most beloved on screen pair EVER, and Bette Davis was so beautiful and glamorous in “Voyager” it is almost hard to believe she was the same actress who played Jane in another one of my most adored flicks, “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?“***

Now-Voyager-bette-davis-28600489-800-600

Davis in a still from “Now, Voyager” (1942)
  Baby Jane
Davis in a still from “Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?” (1962)

I also discovered two things that made me extremely happy, and I want to share them with you.  The first is I just heard (I know, where have I been???  LOL) that “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” is coming out next month with the original cast.  I watched the trailer and it looks as funny, if not more, than the original.  Yay!!!

The second is that Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is being released in September.  I do not know how the fact that he was writing a book got by me, but now that I know I have no idea how I will make it until the fall to read it!!!  Do you think he will finally reveal that his greatest sadness in life was not marrying me???  One can hope and be delusional, can’t one 🙂 ???

Bruce autobiography

Source:  BruceSpringsteen.net

Oh, and speaking of the Boss, I was supposed to see him in concert this week in Hartford, but I swapped tickets with one of my friends who lives in MD and had tickets for his show there in April.  She completely forgot she will be away on a cruise the night of the concert, so being the good friend I am I thought I would add MD to one of the states I travel to for my Boss obsession.  However, I must admit when she told me he sang “Because The Night”, “Cover Me”, “Loose Ends”, “Bobby Jean” AND “Rosalita”, all of which are in my top 10 favorite songs by him, my heart went into an arrhythmia it has yet to recover from.

I mean, I was glad to help her out and I will still get to see Bruce on “The River” tour, but if he does not perform those five songs the night I go I am afraid I might end up throwing myself on the stage kicking and screaming.  Maybe then he will rethink the set list???  LOL  But he will be singing “Fade Away” since that is from the album, and that may make up for everything since I ADORE that song, too!!!  I always thought it would make a great duet, especially if he sang it with me!!!  SAAAAAA-WOOOOON!!!  Here is Bruce meeting with some Veterans before his show in DC last month.  I love that he is such a staunch supporter of the men & women who served (and continue to serve) our country!!!

Bruce and the veterans

Source:  BruceSpringsteen.net/Pete Souza/The River Tour in DC-Jan 2016

Please note that the starred links*** are my affiliate links. I only share what I love and am grateful for the support 🙂

So, how did you spend your weekend?  And if you are lucky enough to be off tomorrow (unlike me 😦 ), enjoy it!!!  Happy President’s Day!!!

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy digging!!!

 

Weekend Wanderings

Posted in Weekend Wanderings by

Hello, Vixens!!!  How are all of you at the start of this new week?

How was your weekend?  Did you host, attend or avoid a Superbowl party yesterday?  If you missed the game, let me summarize:  Party.  Chips.  Salsa.  Snack foods.  Expensive new commercials.  Congratulations, Broncos 🙂  Better luck next year, Panthers 😦

Super_Bowl_50_logo

Or maybe you acknowledged the 52nd anniversary of the Beatles arrival in America, specifically New York.  And tomorrow, February 9, marks the same number of years since they first made their historic debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show“.  The link contains the entire show, commercials included (I especially loved seeing the now vintage packaging for Pillsbury Flour & All Detergent!!!).  What a treat for those of us not around then to have seen history in the making that night!!!  To say it changed music, let alone the world FOREVER, is almost an understatement.  All hail John, Paul, George & Ringo!!!  We are eternally in love and indebted 🙂

Trivia:  The Beatles performed five songs that night.  What was the first one they sang?  No cheating!!!  LOL

Beatles at JFK

     Source:  Topics.nytimes.com
Beatles on Ed Sullivan
Source:  Cbsnews.com

Speaking of the Beatles, and with Valentine’s Day a week away, I have been listening a lot to my favorite love song ever:  Something***.   Second place:  Can’t Help Falling In Love by Elvis Presley***.

Saturday I was again lost with no estate sales in my area, so I did the next best thing: looked for treasures on Etsy, Ebay and Craigslist.  Saw many things I loved, but most were out of my budget range.   Sigh.

But I did see this really cute idea on Country Living’s website.  I cannot wait to try this.  What a great way to use vintage or even newer tins by just adding magnets:

country living

Source:  CountryLiving.com/A Pretty Cool Life

Thought about Valentine’s Day.  Forget flowers or jewelry-this is what I want:

Puppy heart

Source:  Pinterest (Original source unknown).

Or maybe just this:

English_Bulldog_Confine_Your_Pup

Source:  Englishbulldog.name

Or this:

romeo-the-pug-puppies-daily-puppy-pug-dogs-puppy

Source:  Rotifresh.com

Watched “The Time Traveler’s Wife“*** for the 9,237th time.  The scene where he sees his mother on the train makes me sob.  Each.  And.  Every.  Single.  Time.  Sigh.

So, how was your weekend?

I do not own the rights to any of the music or videos I am sharing with you, but the starred links*** are my affiliate links. I only share what I love and am grateful for the support 🙂

Have a lovely week!!!

Oh, and “All My Loving” was the first song the Beatles performed on “Ed Sullivan” 🙂

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy digging!!!

 

Weekend Wanderings

Posted in Weekend Wanderings by

Hello, Vixens!!!  Happy February!!!

It’s awards season!!!  Did I ever tell you how much I love awards shows???  I do.  I love watching the stars arrive on the red carpet, seeing the gorgeous dresses and shoes, the different hairstyles and accessories-all of it (although I must admit it is very different without Joan Rivers…sigh).  I like to see who presents with who, and if their jokes will be funny or fall flat.  I even like listening to the speeches, especially when they are off the cuff and heartfelt, and sometimes I get teary eyed during the “In Memoriam” segment.

So, after forgetting all about the Golden Globe Awards a few weeks back (I know, right???  I am sooo off my game!!!   But don’t worry, I caught the highlights on their site & YouTube LOL), I made sure I was front and center on Saturday night for the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Awards.  My favorite part hands down was when the perfect pair of Tina Fey & Amy Poehler presented Carol Burnett with the Lifetime Achievement Award, followed very closely by when the adorable Steve Carrell escorted her to the stage.  Look how classically beautiful the ladies looked:

Tina Fey Harpers  Amy  carol

Sources (l to r):  Tina Fey & Amy Poehler:  Getty.  Carol Burnett:  The Huffington Post.  

Prints were very big on the red carpet this year, worn by Naomi Watts, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Rachel McAdams and Nicole Kidman, to name a few.  But I am usually old school when it comes to gowns and prefer more of a monochromatic look.  The women from “Mad Men“*** were three of my absolute favorites:

Christina  J Jones  Jessica

Sources (l to r):  Christina Hendricks & January Jones:  Getty.   Jessica Pare:  AP.

I really wanted “Mad Men” to win for Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series for its unbelievably phenomenal final season but that honor went to Downton Abbey.  But seeing Jon Hamm again with that post “Mad Men” beard had me sa-wooning!!!

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 30: Actor Jon Hamm attends The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 30, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. 25650_013 (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Turner)

Source:  Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images

The awards are also how I keep up with the movies and shows most worth watching since I have been out of the loop on both lately.  It does not have anything to do with who wins but rather what I find interesting.  As for films. I really want to see “Spotlight” with another “Mad Men alumni, John Slattery, “Room” and “The Danish Girl“.  For series, I am dying to see “Transparent” with Best Actor In A Comedy winner Jeffrey Tambor whom I have LOVED since I saw him decades ago with Al Pacino in “And Justice For All“*** and in “Hill Street Blues“*** as a dress wearing judge.  Wow, I guess his career has come full circle!!!  But I want to binge watch it, along with “Orange Is The New Black“, “Downton Abbey” and “How to Get Away With Murder“.

Here are some other dresses I loved from the awards show.  I adored the color of Viola Davis’ dress!!!

Helen  Sofia  Viola

Source (l to r):  Helen Mirren, Sofia Vergara & Viola Davis:  Getty.  

Amanda  Emerald  Sophie

Source (l to r):  Amanda Peet, Uzo Aduba and Sophie Turner:  Getty.  

I also think it is time for me to put this out there:  I am a pioneer in binge watching.  That’s right, before it was a thing, I was doing it.  And I am pretty proud of it!!!  It started a long time ago when I was a kid and was bored one Saturday morning watching cartoons (I loved the Peanuts and Fred Rogers.  No cartoons could stand up to those two powerhouses for me).  I turned the channel to PBS and three episodes of “Sesame Street” were on, followed by three episodes of  “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”.  I was amazed!!!  I thought I was controlling it too, because when the first episode was coming to an end, I wished another one would come on even though that had never happened before. But poof, my wish came true!!!  It was fantastic!!!

Mister Rogers'

Original source:  PBS

Many years later, I started recording my soap opera (I still miss my friends from Bay City) to watch after school and/or work and when I could not watch a Monday episode one week, I decided to wait until Sunday to watch the whole week of them in a row.  All that serial goodness in one sitting AND I was able to fast forward through the commercials!!!  It was life altering!!!  After that, unless it was a sweeps month and I could not bear to wait an entire week for an update, I binged them all the time.  Same thing with my nightly shows if time and tape allowed.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  So all the newbies jumping on the binge-watching band wagon are just a tad late to the party as far as I am concerned!!!  LOL

AW

Original source:  NBC

But the joke’s on me because I should have been the one to invent Hulu and the likes which helped introduce “binge watching” into the vernacular.  Ugh, I’m a blockhead!!!

So, that was the highlight of my weekend.  How was yours?  Did any of you watch the SAG Awards?  Are there any movies or series you want to see or would recommend?

Until next time, fellow Vixens, happy digging!!!

Note:  The starred links*** are my affiliate links. I only share what I love and am grateful for the support.  Thanks!!!