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Last Day of Summer

Today is the last day of summer.

It sounds like such a sad thing, but the end of one season brings about the beginning of another.  All the seasons are good.

Although some may be more favored than others.

Several years ago I remember taking an “About Me” questionnaire which included the question “What is your favorite season?”  LB and I found that we had something in common when we both answered

“FALL”.

There is something about the way the sunlight shines with such a glow that makes you know that fall is in the air.  As the season changes, the sun sits lower in the sky.  The lower humidity and fewer clouds makes the sky seem bluer.  The days appear to be more vibrant than they were in the very hot summer months.

Although Florida will not enjoy very cool temperatures for several months, it will be apparent that fall has arrived.  This year that day will come tomorrow, September 22nd.

Although summer is known for vacations, days spent at the beach, cookouts, and relaxing by the pool, there are also many wonderful things about fall.  We can look forward to holidays and other festivities.  Comfy sweaters.  Eventually.  Bonfires and hayrides.  Warm apple cider, hot chocolate, and PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. I am looking forward to staking my happy scarecrow by the front door.

And of course there is

Fall Fashion

Now is the time to whip out your favorite cardigans and booties… all of your fall fashionable attire.  If you are stumped, like I tend to be, there are many sites you can check out to get ideas for what to wear this fall; and how to transition from summer to fall.  In the next few days, I’ll be sharing my ideas and where I find my inspiration.

 

Looking forward to it!

 

“Women who wear black lead colorful lives”

– Neiman Marcus

When I realized that I have been wearing outfits that are predominately black this week, it started me to thinking… maybe my favorite color truly is black. 

It seems like I’ve had this discussion with my sister before.

Recently I saw this on Pinterest “If your favorite color is black, you value your inner world and enjoy keeping your private life private. Only close relatives and friends are privy to your thoughts and feelings.

Articulate and at times dramatic you know how to share your point of view with conviction and authority. Drama does not mean unrestrained. You maintain self-control with ease, which enables you to control most situations as well.

Others perceive you as serious maybe to the extent of intimidating. Focusing on the details and getting things right is important to you. You are comfortable projecting an air of mysterious and guarded which can help mask moments of insecurity. People find your juxtaposition of the conventional and unconventional intriguing.”

(Source)

 Follow the I ♥ COLOR Series on Pinterest.

While some of those characteristics are true of me, my “personality color” told a different story.

An online quiz to determine the color that best matches your personality did not match me with black.

Interestingly enough the Color Personality Quiz revealed:

You are red!

“You’re passionate and full of energy, making you popular among friends. You have the ability to love deeply, and you sometimes don’t think before you put your heart and soul into your relationships. Your strong sense of ambition means you will do well in your career. This, however, is offset by a fiery temper and a lack of patience. Work hard at keeping a balance in your life and you’ll go far.”

When Wendy pointed out that I misunderstood one of the questions, I took the test again and changed that one answer.

Still Red.

I’ve been guilty in the past of click bait type tests, but I  do think its fun.

Take the Quiz.

As for my results, (HA!)  I don’t completely agree with the part about a fiery temper.  Maybe LB would have a different opinion.

As for my passion for black fashion, I have a few posts that specifically reference black including this post about little black blouses.

 

“Women who wear black lead colorful lives”

It’s true.

Friday Favorites

Kim says:

IT’S FRIDAY Y’ALL!

Shalita says:Apparently we have SOMETHING in common ’cause I’m dancin’ too!

And it is time to post my Friday Favorites!

Favorite # ONE

This has been a stressful week with all the drama caused by Hurricane Irma on Sunday and Monday. Luckily the generator kept the news up and running during the entire event. The channels were limited, but my favorite weatherman made it bearable.
Thank you Richard Nunn!In case you don’t know him, Richard is the one on the left.

Favorite # TWO

Hurricane Irma Cookies

On the subject of Hurricane Irma… this week’s meteorological conditions brought about some irrational behavior [as it is unlike me to binge on carbs]. However, unlike me as it was, for our mini-evacuation, I packed mostly malevolent processed products.

Reason being?  Mostly due to the ease with which these items travel and stay edible over several hours/days. Although I’m now paying the price for it, we enjoyed little sandwiches, pretzels, kettle chips, turkey jerky, and my very own homemade Hurricane Irma Chocolate Chip Cookies.

This is how I made those cookies…

Cream together:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
Add into mix, one at a time:
2 large eggs
Add:
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine together:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Then add to wet ingredients.
Stir in:
1/2 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 (12-ounce) bag milk chocolate chips
Bake at 375°F on a parchment lined pan for 12 minutes

And voilà… a new addition to my menu’s “Recipe” page

Favorite # THREE

Smock off the Shoulder Top

It was ordered last month, and just received a few days ago…
My new Smock off the Shoulder top from Venus comes in sizes XS – XL and is adorable!
This bohemian style blouse has alternating floral and animal prints and includes a faux tassel drawstring at the waist.
The top is smocked at the bust and shoulders and finished with trendy bell sleeves.
Just in time for fall… which is happening next week!

Favorite # FOUR

My sense of humor is more bizarre than any other I know… with the exception of my sister. Looking through some of the memes in Pinterest,  l came across a new one that I had to add to my “Very Funny” boardMaybe it was because I was so tired I couldn’t think straight, but this one made me LoL!

Favorite # FIVE

I Want My 80s

on MTV

Since LB had to work late, Elvis and I sat down in front of the tv and ended up watching classic music videos from the 80s.  When LB came home, he was happy to join in.

I remember the first time I experienced MTV.  It was 1983 and we had one of those cable TV controllers that slide from channel to channel.  The first music video I ever saw was Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  What an inauguration, right?

Tonight we have watched performances by Billy Joel, ACDC, Madonna, Debarge, Cheap Trick, Huey Lewis and the News, Aerosmith, Will Smith, Bad English and Guns & Roses.

Take me Back!

…or Down

to Paradise City!

Happy Birthday Elvis!

He is eight years old today…and has been with me since he was three months old.

Elvis is a rescue kitty.

It was December 12, 2009 and my plan was to give my oldest daughter Stephanie a kitten for Christmas.  LB and I went to the Humane Society and looked at all the adorable kitties that were living there.  Some of them were in crates; some of them were playing together in the Kitty Cabana.  As we walked into the Kitty Cabana I noticed one little black fur ball scurry behind a kitty play set. Of course I went after him.  Given the fact that he was so skittish, I was surprised that he let me pick him up.  Not only did he let me pick him up, he let me hold him close and snuggle.

I had found a winner!

We took him home.My plan was to keep him for about a week before Christmas and then take him to Stephanie on Christmas morning.

It was only a few days that he was with us and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to part with him.Exactly one week later, we went back and adopted Aymie.  She and Stephanie are inseparable.  Aymie is obviously a good sport.

She will also be 8 years old in October.

If you have a kitty in your life, you know just how special one can be.

Elvis has been on numerous trips and through several moves with me.  He tolerates no visitors and hides under the bed as soon as he is aware that company has arrived.  To most people, he seems very unsociable.
However, when he detects that his mama has arrived home, he comes running.  He then leads me to the living room for some hello-let’s-have-a-brush time.

Elvis sleeps on my bed at my feet. He is anxious for me to get up in the morning and has been known to sit by my head and pat my nose. His favorite time is when I’m sitting in my living room chair letting him sleep on my lap.  He is sleeping on my lap as I type this post.  He is just a precious little fur ball, and I’m so happy to have him in my life.

Happy Birthday Elvis!

Friday Favorites

Guess What Day It Is

Andrea cat friday weekend viernes GIF

Hee Hee!

I thought that was cute!  And funny!

Speaking of funny…

Favorite # ONE

recently my daughter tweeted:

I literally laughed out loud!  This is SO Stephanie!

 

Favorite # TWO

I like BIG BOOTS and I cannot lie…It is too hot in Florida to wear boots in the fall.  But when I found these boots on Amazon for under $30, I had to have them.  Although I love living in Florida (except when a hurricane is heading my way), I complain about not being able to wear my boots.  Regardless, complaining will not change the fact that I won’t be wearing them until December or January.

 

Favorite # THREE

I am obsessed with chicken wings!

Am I the only person who could eat chicken wings every day?  Last Friday LB and I had buffalo chicken wings ONCE AGAIN at Racing’s North Turn for dinner.  They were great.  Every last one of them.

 

Favorite # FOUR

The Bee Gees special that aired last spring has been waiting to be watched in my recorded programs until recently.  Last Sunday LB and I played this while we were cleaning up around the house and realized it was a pretty dang good show.

I’ve always loved the Bee Gees!Stayin’ Alive: A GRAMMY Salute To The Music Of The Bee Gees aired on  April 16 and featured the talents of John Legend, Celine Dion, Demi Lovato, Pentatonix, Nick Jonas plus many others.  They each paid tribute to the Bee Gees’ pop legacy by performing songs made popular by the Bee Gees.  We watched it TWICE!

 

Favorite # FIVE

The Ethnicity Estimate.

Where in the world did I come from???

When I came across this CLICK BAIT on FaceBook last week, I nearly drove my Mama crazy… although I was just teasing her.  How I could be Brazilian is beyond me.  The three times I was estimated to be 53% Puerto Rican was also puzzling.  Later, I took a FB quiz “How Puerto Rican are You?” and scored 100%.  Since I am thoroughly Scots-Irish & English (as far as I know), I thought it was pretty funny, but I should probably stop clicking on those things!

That picture is horrible!  Apparently I have no pride.

 

As I always mention, I LOVE Fridays and I thoroughly enjoy posting my Friday Favorites!  I hope someone out there enjoys reading about them.

TGIF!

 

 

Back to School

There are several blogs that I follow… most of them are fashion blogs. One in particular that I enjoy is Coast to Coast (by Lisa, an East Coast girl in a West Coast world).  She will occasionally post an outfit or publish a post that is fashion related, but she includes a little bit of everything in her blog. That is my kind of blog! I’ve picked up several ideas from her, including “Friday Favorites” and “Show and Tell Tuesday”.  Today when I looked at her blog I found a post titled Back to School by The Blended Blog ‘asks’.

Since I enjoyed reading Lisa’s answers, I thought I would join in the fun for a walk down Memory Lane.

My Back to School Answers:

1. Did I love school or hate it? I didn’t love going to school, but I loved having the opportunity to make good grades, and I’ve always enjoyed learning something new.

2. Start school before or after Labor Day? LB and I were just talking about this Sunday.  He mentioned that school used to start after Labor Day because most schools didn’t have air conditioning. I honestly can’t remember when school started.  But I do remember graduating from high school in June!

3. Wake up: Eager Beaver or Slow Poke? I’m pretty quick to jump up out of bed now. When I was growing up I must’ve been a slow poke; I remember Daddy calling “Rise and Shine, Beeping Sleauty”

4. Favorite Breakfast? Usually cereal with milk

5. Favorite Cereal? Something chocolateyI still love chocolate cereals!

6. School Uniform? No, we didn’t wear uniforms back in the 1800’s… except for during P.E.  That’s a topic in itself!

7. New outfit for the first day of school? Yes.  Usually.  I think.

8. Walk to school or ride the bus?  The bus rides began in the 8th grade…but up to that point, my Mama drove me.

9. Backpack, tote, or messenger bag? I always carried my books until I started college at the turn of the century.  Then I had a backpack.

10. Eat school lunch or pack lunch? A metal lunchbox with a glass thermos.  Sounds dangerous, right?

11. Remember the little milk cartons?  They were so cute.

12. Paper bag or lunch box? It was a Charlie Brown lunchbox.  Not sure why I didn’t have something a little more girlie?

13. Favorite thing to do at recess? Wasn’t a fan of recess… definitely didn’t enjoy Duck, Duck, Goose!

14. Favorite back to school item?  Hmmm…. probably the new notebook… a Trapper Keeper… or something similarly awesome!

15. Chalkboard or Dry erase board?  Chalkboard… and the worse thing ever was being called to the front of the class to work a math problem to be watched by all (tears).16. Regular pencil or mechanical? Regular… number two, of course17. Homework as soon as you got home or after dinner? I don’t remember having much homework until high school, but at that point, with all the extracurricular activities, it was do homework whenever you find the time.

18. Favorite after school snack? Ice cream… at my Mema D.’s house… which was part of the reason I was a little chunk.

19. Favorite after school show? The soaps (also with Mema D.) on Channel 4… typically the Guiding Light which started at 3PM right after school. Remember Reva and Josh???

20. Favorite subject in school? Art… no question.

21. Least favorite subject in school? P.E. (Physical Education) OMG… remember the physical fitness tests? Getting sweaty then having to go back to class! Wearing those ridiculous outfits a/k/a gym suits!  I have searched the internet high and low and those things are nowhere to be found.  I’m convinced that God Himself intervened!

22. Name of your best friend in high school? My aunt Debbie, Kim M., Kellie G., LaTresia B.

23. High school Mascot? An astronaut. Edward H. White (center) to be exact!

24. SAT or ACT? SAT is the only test I remember having to take before college. The MLST (Minimum Level Skills Test) was the goofy test that we were required to pass to move on to the next grade.

25. Favorite year in school? My Senior year.  Definitely!

26. Class ring or no class ring? Yes I have a class ring. Because I dropped it, there is a chip in the stone, but it is still pretty.27. Attend or not attend high school reunions? At this point I have not attended any of my reunions. Hopefully I will be able to do so in the future!

Show and Tell Tuesday

It has become one of my favorite posts…

This Tuesday’s

Show and Tell

features a piece of furniture that contains more history than I can share in one post.

To begin, this lovely Lane cedar chest (aka hope chest) was a gift from my parents when I turned eighteen and/or graduated from high school.  I’m not sure if it was a birthday gift or a graduation gift, but I still have this beautiful piece of furniture that I cherish.  Inside I have memories of my high school years, my three babies, and my twelve years with First Guaranty Bank.  There are Beanie Babies, a baton, a tiara, and cards that were given to me by loved ones.Recently I opened my cedar chest because I was looking for a giraffe that I seem to have misplaced.

(So I have a thing about giraffes.  Don’t judge.)

A few of the items I came across are worth sharing.

These are Church DirectoriesI began attending Faith Memorial Baptist church with my parents, before I was born.  I attended this church until 1997.  These directories contain pictures and information of the members of the church.  It is interesting to flip through and look at the people who were at one time a part of my life.

This poem

was written by my Mama while she dealt with the grief of losing her father.

This is what it says:

At set of sun in times long past, I see him coming home at last
We’d run to meet him one by one, happy that the day was done
A special word, a hug, a kiss, would let him know how he’d been missed
A crowded table with sumptuous fare, he never tired of being there.
(Did we realize what we had? That special place, a loving Dad.)
He’d settle back in his old chair, content to rest, to just be there.
We’d find a place upon his lap, maybe he would take a nap.
We learned of Jesus at his knee, of how he died upon a tree.
He told us of a home on high, how we could go there by and by.
Of our Father’s gracious love, bestowed on us from up above.

And now the sun has set once more, reflected on that golden shore.
The fluttering of angels wings, bear him heavenward as they sing.
His home awaits, the table set; joy replaces all regret.
Loved ones who’ve been waiting there, bid him welcome as they share
Hugs and kisses, special words,
And then his eyes behold the Lord.
Son, welcome home, the day is through. I’ve been waiting here for you.
…He’s settled now in heaven’s care, content to rest, to just be there…

 

It is a beautiful tribute and now has a place in my family scrapbook.

 

This is a big flower

from my baby boy.

He made this flower for his mama and placed his cute little picture in the center.  Obviously I love it as it has been with me for 20+ years.

This is a big message

from a little girl.

My firstborn DaughterShe is quite an imaginative little artist.  I especially appreciate the Jasmine inspired floating head.

Even today, Stephanie still has a fascination with all things Disney.

This Comic Book

was written by that same little boy in the above mentioned flower… Richard Starling.

It is a first volume publication by Marble Comics and is titled “The Nother World”

One day I will create a post dedicated to this comic book.

Both of my Memas

are gone now.

Mema Reid left us in 2007.  Mema Duck left us in 2010.

How lucky am I to have had a relationship with both of my grandmothers.  They loved me and I love them.

And I miss them both.

There is so much more… I may have to open that chest again next week.and I found that giraffe!

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