Your morning giggle...

Happy Birthday Doris Day!

 

This amazing woman is ninety years young.  I’ve always been such a fan.

Here’s a rare interview Parade Magazine did with her in 2011

Goodbye GMA, it's been a good run, but.....

 

Okay, I’ve gotta vent.  I’m so over GMA.  First Sam Champion left, now Josh Elliott has bailed.  Ya, they’re bringing in Michael Strahan, he’s okay, but not enough to make me tune in.  

And what was the straw that broke the camel’s back?  This morning I was watching Robin Roberts fawn over  Samuel L. Jackson.  The woman was actually bowing to him.  Ya, he’s a great actor, but bowing?  Oh puh-leez. 

And apparently, if you can believe the tabloids, Amy Robach and Lara Spencer hate each other.  That Lara has worked on my last nerve for years.  She reminds me of that awful Debbie Thomopoulos that used to be on The View.

So I’m gone, outta there, hasta la vista, baby.  But where do I go for my morning news?  I gave up TODAY because I just can’t tolerate Matt Lauer.  Ugh, the man disgusts me.  Word on the street is that Josh Elliott will step into his spot when his contract is up.  I hope so, I’m a fan, and I’ll return to TODAY if that happens.  CBS Morning News is a a huge yawn, I could revisit Fox & Friends, but that would entail me suffering thru Elizabeth Hasselbeck.  So what am I gonna do?  Just ignore morning news?  I do enjoy Kathie Lee and Hoda at 10am, but that’s not news, that’s two old women sitting around gossiping and drinking wine.

Okay, I feel better now, just had to get that all out!  Now I’m going to enjoy this pretty spring morning and forget about the news!  It’s all bad anyway!!!!!!!!

EZ Off Jar Opener, just buy it!!!!

The older I get the more I struggle with opening jars.  A few years ago my son Ryan bought me an automatic jar opener, and while it works great, it’s big and bulky, I have it in the garage and it’s a hassle to access it.

I’ve tried hand-held openers, you’re struggling to hold it with one hand and open the jar with the other.  Most of the time I just rely on poor hubby, but he isn’t always around.

So a few weeks ago, I found this opener on Amazon,  it had 438 positive reviews, so I decided to try it.  It mounts under your kitchen cabinet, it’s invisible since the frame of the cabinet hides it, and it’s just simply amazing.

A quick counter clockwise twist and your jar is opened.  You have both hands free, it’s seriously awesome, ladies.

So get out that credit card, and order it up, $16.95 prime, it’s SO worth the money.

Here’s the quick click to order...

Clean your makeup brushes with Dawn Dishwashing Detergent

 

My brushes were overdue to be cleaned, and instead of using Johnson’s Baby Shampoo like I normally do, I cleaned them with Dawn Dishwashing Liquid.  I just squirted a bit of Dawn directly on each individual brush, rubbed it in, and washed it under the faucet with warm water.

Wow, what a difference.  Every bit of makeup residue and oil is gone and they are soft and pliable.

Try it, it’s a good thing!   ~ Jan

The 2013 Barkley Dog Family Subaru Commercial Compilation

 

My friend, Jean sent this to me.  It’s awesome!  If you love dogs, give this a watch!!!

Happy First Day of Spring...

I REALLY want to go to The Vermont Country Store

 

Here I go again, shamelessly plugging The Vermont Country Store.  They had a segment on CBS This Morning, and I just had to share with all of you.  I drive hubby nuts talking about this store, I so want to go there.  I even want to try the Tangee Lipstick again, even though I wasn’t a fan of it back in the day.  It had this really distinctive smell, I wonder if it still does.

I’m actually trying to talk LC into a trip to Vermont just to go to that store.   And since I can pretty much talk him into anything, there might be a trip in our future.  I know, cr-a-zy woman here, makes no sense at all!  We can’t drive all the way to Vermont just to go to that store. Or can we????

We were at John and Deanna’s a couple of weeks ago, she’s a fan as well and had just gotten a package from them.   Oh my, I was absolutely giddy when she opened it, and it wasn’t even mine!  Such cute stuff she got in that package, it was just like Christmas!!!!

I’m just a little obsessed, can ya tell?  Yep, just a little...

St. Paddy's Day...

Mother always planted her sweet peas on St. Paddy’s day.  I’m sitting here looking at an inch of snow and temps in the 20’s, and thinking that Ma would not be a happy camper today if she was still with us.

We had such a great weekend with temps in the 60’s.  My buddy V came for a girl’s weekend, we shopped, ate badly, talked late into the night and had a great time.  Got up yesterday morning to still more we-ather - this is just not right!  It’s spring this week, where are the daffy’s, the crocus, the green grass?  Hiding under the inch of snow, that’s where they are!

And the top o’ the mornin’ to you on this blustery St. Patrick’s Day….

It's national pie day!

 

And what’s No. 1?  Easy, peasy, and no, it’s not cherry, even though that’s my fruit pie of choice.  I also do love lemon, coconut and banana.  No, I’m not having any, but you might!

Here’s the top contenders

73 Questions with Sarah Jessica Parker

I thought this was interesting, her house was not what I expected...

Does anyone iron anymore?

Back in the day women washed on Monday and ironed on Tuesday, that’s just the way it was.  Why?  Oh, who the hell knows, you didn’t ask questions back in the day, you just “did it."

I was the child of a mother who hated ironing almost as much as Moi.  Enter Mabel Thompson, this older skinny woman in our small village, who walked around town wearing a headscarf and toting a pocketbook, chain smoking an endless supply of Pell Mell cigarettes.

Mabel didn’t have a regular job, but she “took in” ironing, probably in part to purchase all those Pell Mells'.  Mother would fill up a bushel basket, drop it off at Mabel’s house before she went to work in the morning, pick it up in the evening, everything would be on wire hangers,  ironed to perfection, and it cost her seventy-five cents.  Imagine, ironing an entire bushel basket of clothes, especially  in the summer with no air-conditioning, for seventy-five cents!

After LC and I married, I made many attempts at Tuesday ironing, but I never quite got there.  Oh, I did what I had to do, the boys never went to school with wrinkled clothes, partly because I taught them how to iron when they were in diapers, a skill that still serves them to this day.  I did iron hubby’s clothes for him, but those days are long gone, thank goodness.  And you do realize I’m just kidding about the diapers, they were actually in first grade before they ironed.  *wicked grin*

As I’ve gotten older and wiser, it’s “iron on demand” at our house.  Whoever needs something ironed puts down the built-in ironing board, fires up the iron, fills it with water, because somehow it always needs it, and does the deed.

But then, fabrics are forgiving these days.  Everything is either "wrinkle free" or 'wrinkle resistant."  But even so, a touch-up helps, but more often than  not I just don’t want to mess with it.  When Ry was in college he was a fan of just heating things up in the dryer to get out the worst of the wrinkles, and ya know, it’s not a bad idea,  I’ve been known to do it myself.  And you can do wonders with a flat iron, seriously you can.  Just try it the next time your jeans are wrinkled, it works like a charm.

I still see old(er) women that obviously still adhere to the Tuesday ironing day.  Their jeans, heaven forbid, are neatly creased, and their husbands shirts and Dickey work pants are starched to perfection.

It’s just not me, just not the way I roll.  I have better things to do on Tuesday than iron.  How about you...

My handsome little grandson...

 

I love this picture of Ben in his little cargo pants and polo shirt.  He was on his way to a birthday party when this was taken.  He’s just the most precious little guy...

Oscar Moments

 

Sandra Bullock looked positively movie star glamous.  Perfect hair, perfect makeup, amazing dress.  She hasn’t destroyed her face with plastic surgery, even the closeups were good.
 

 

And then there was Liza Minnelli .  Look closely at this picture ladies, what was this woman thinking?  Going braless at 67 is not attractive.  And then she had that blue streak - in . her . hair !  And so much plastic surgery, it’s really sad, it really is.  It just screams “look at me, look at me.”  And people do look, but not in an admiring way.

It was too bad that Dame Judy Dench wasn’t there, but if she had been, she would have looked her age and her look is wonderful.  Here’s a recent picture, isn’t she amazing.  Her skin isn’t pulled to the extreme, her lips aren’t filled, she’s natural and she’s classy. This is my idea of ageless, what a beautiful time in her life, and she embraces it instead of being ashamed of looking older.
 

And on to my favorite speech of the night, Matthew McConaughey.   He not only took his wife to the Oscars, but he took his mother.  And he talked about how she taught him and his brothers to respect themselves.  It was very touching and heartfelt.
 

"To my family, that who and what I look forward to. To my father who, I know he's up there right now with a big pot of gumbo. He's got a lemon meringue pie over there. He's probably in his underwear. And he's got a cold can of Miller Lite and he's dancing right now.

“Alright, Alright, Alright"

Spring has sprung at The Vermont Country Store

I just got my latest catalog in the mail and it’s chocked full of spring goodies.  I’m really liking these pastel plates, oh let’s face it I like it all.  I hyperlinked the pictures below, it’s just a taste of what they are selling.  Just click on whatever you’re interested in and link to it.

I’ve yet to order anything, but I will.  They should actually send me a freebie for all the advertising I do for them. :o)

The catalog is adorable, it has this hen on the cover.  If you want a copy, here’s the click to order.  Enjoy…. ~ Jan

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Farmer's Almanac Spring Forecast

 

It’s not good, sports fans.  They’re saying snowfall predicted through late March and April areas, including a mid-April snow to New England.

Mother always said, early Easter, early spring, late Easter, late spring.  Easter this year is April 20th.  Mother always knew best, too.  *sigh*

Here’s their article, read it and weep...

The New Old Age

Is everything we’ve always been told about women’s health changing?  After a certain age do we really need routine Pap tests?  And what about those painful mammograms, are they really necessary?

And the worst of the worst, the dreaded colonoscopy, after a certain age do we need it?

All of these procedures are money makers for physicians, but do they take it to the extreme, is it in our best interest or theirs?

You read the article and decide for yourself.  I don’t even have an opinion at this point, just passing along information.

Here’s the click….

In search of serenity...

I’ve talked about nature so often over the years.  The wind in my face, the quiet of the country life, my beloved creek, the sounds of frogs chirping and birds singing.  I was reading The Old Farmer’s Almanac online, trying to get their view on what weather the month of March was going to bring, because frankly the forecast for the first week is positively horrid!!  I came upon an article about serenity, and they just validated what I already know, that serenity is rooted in nature.

They also have a link to a slideshow of where people find peace in New York City.  I thought it was so interesting, you might enjoy it as well.  Turn up your speakers, it has great sound effects as you arrow from slide to slide.

Here’s the link.  ~ Enjoy...

Jacqueline Bisset and Jane Seymour on Aging Gracefully

It’s so refreshing when you see celebrities that are actually embracing their age without botox, trout lips or facelifts.  These ladies are the real thing, and they’re so interesting to listen to, proving that wisdom really does come with age.

They’re being interviewed by Hoda and Kathie Lee, who is unusually quiet, but then her forehead isn’t moving.  Just sayin..

Spring has arrived, well at my house it has...

 

 

 

Even though our 7 day forecast calls for cold and snowy weather, I couldn’t stand the thought of winter one minute longer, so poor hubby had to drag all of the spring crates out of the attic, and here’s the result.  And yes, I know it’s overdone, I like it this way, it’s just the way I roll.

There are a lot of treasures tucked into this tablescape.  Don’t you just love that word tablescape, it’s a good buzzword, thanks to Sandra Lee from FoodTV who coined the phrase several years ago with her pretty dining room tables.

Some of these things I’ve had for years.  The tulips in the first picture, I got several years ago at Marshall’s, my friend Barb has the same ones.  I wonder if she still uses hers?

The carrot salt and pepper shakers are vintage, the egg cups are Dept. 56 from years ago, and the trio of rabbit bowls filled with jellybeans have been around forever.

The big Easter chick came from Steinmart, it’s always been a favorite of mine, the little bunny in the last picture was a gift from my buddy V, he lives in my living room the rest of the year, and last but not least is this wicker basket of yellow tulips.

 

Many, many years ago, we were on a trip to the west coast, I found these tulips and carried them home on a plane to give to mother.  She put them out every spring, and now so do I.  They’re a little shopworn, but that only makes them more bittersweet.  They must be 25-30 years old by now.

And that’s my table, a bright spot as winter gasps, hopefully, it’s  last blast of arctic air this week.  It’s not quite finished, I still need to add silverware and glasses and napkins.  I think I’ll do it slowly, I certainly have time.  Oh spring, where are you…..