Barbie turns 50 this year!!

This year, America's favorite fashion doll is celebrating her 50th birthday (Shhh! Don't tell Ken!). The big events include her first-ever fashion show on February 14th during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week where over 50 of the hottest designers will be creating looks from Barbie's past, present and --wait for it-- future. After that, the timeless style-setter will be gearing up for her celebrity-studded real-life, Malibu party on March 9th in a Jonathan Adler designed Dream House®. Throughout the year-long celebration, Barbie® will also be teaming up with Bloomingdale's, Stila, Colette, Facebook and many more. Read on to find out what all the BlogHers have to say about the celebration, and the fashion icon behind the buzz!

WOW !!! Hard to believe the doll I played with as a child is 50 years old this year already! I remember all the fun my friend Helen and Joanne and I had, playing on a hot summer day with our dolls under the big tree in front of my house. The boys would be off playing with their dinosaurs and wishing we would go away.

We had a store at the Plymouth Meeting Mall in PA. where the sold straight pins with things like a ladybug or dragonflies and the sort at the end of them. They were all the rage back then everyone would sport them on our handbags (yes I said handbags not purses) or our coats. But my favorite thing to do with them is use them for Barbie's earrings!! She looked so cute with them on. Or we used straight pins that had the silver balls on the end or the colored ones as earrings for our Barbie's. Some of them were too big and they would come out the other side of her head but we didn't care we thought she was cool looking!

The Barbie's of the 50's had to much eyeliner on, bumps on their feet, this was to hold their shoes on, straw like blonde hair that if you combed it you were done because it never went back to how it was, a killer upper chest area that I guess young girls hope some day to have I wasn't lucky in that department growing up.

You could buy just her clothes you did not have to buy a new Barbie for each outfit. Ken was a little strange looking with his not real hair and over sized body. I think he was much bigger then Barbie. If I am wrong some one let me know. She had a dream house, but I was never able to get it because it cost to much money and we really didn't need it we had our imaginations to help us play.

If anyone has any memory they would like to share it would be really fun to hear about.

If anyone wants to see what Barbie is up too theis year here is a website you can check out

http://barbiestyle.barbie.com/events.html

You've been tagged

I have been tagged!!! If you are seeing this you have been tagged also. Here's what to do. You take the 5th folder in your pictures and then the 5th picture in that folder post it and then tell about it. Here is mine!!


Danny's Birthday!! Danny and David have game night on Friday nights and they love to play cards and craps. So, I do not remember her name, but one of their friends baked a Ace of Hearts cake. David surprised him with friends and family to help him celebrate it.

Danny is in the striped shirt, David is in the green shirt, you see the back of Beth's head and the others are friends of the boys. You can make out the craps table rolled up to the left as we interrupted the game to sing Happy Birthday to Danny. Oh by the way his birthday is August 13th if you want to mark your calendar's for next year.

We always have a great time playing craps (which Beth is still the highest winner and she is on the leader board to prove it) and having fun with them. I wish you many more happy times with you life and birthday Danny.

Love you guys!!!

The history of the King's Cake travels back to the pre-Christian religions of Europe where a man was chosen to be the "sacred king" for a year and then sacrificed to ensure a good harvest. The method of choosing who would be the sacred king was through a King's Cake. A small nut or bean would be placed inside a cake before it was baked and who ever received the piece of cake containing the nut or bean was chosen as the sacred king. This tradition was carried down through the generations but was altered as the Christian religion became more prominent. The King's Cake was introduced to New Orleans with the French settlers around 1870 and is still a large part of the Carnival Season and Mardi Gras today.
Today it is popular to put a plastic toy baby in the cake, after it is baked. You can find plastic toys babies in craft stores.

King Cake
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup butter, melted
5 egg yolks
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon multicolored candy sprinkles

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and white sugar in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Stir the egg yolks and melted butter into the milk mixture. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, nutmeg and lemon zest. Beat the flour mixture into the milk/egg mixture 1 cup at a time. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

3. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Mix well. In another small bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix well and set aside.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 6x30 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling across the center of the dough. Bring the two long edges together and seal completely. Using your hands shape the dough into a long cylinder and place on a greased baking sheet, seam-side down. Shape the dough into a ring press the baby into the ring from the bottom so that it is completely hidden by the dough. Place a well-greased 2 pound metal coffee can the center of the ring to maintain the shape during baking. Cover the ring with a towel and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F

5. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the coffee can and allow the bread to cool. Drizzle cooled cake with lemon/sugar glaze and decorate with candy sprinkles.

Found on examiner.com

Just wishing everyone a Happy Mardi Gras Day!!! Eat as much cake, pies, or doughnuts today as you would like.

My mom when we were younger would get us doughnuts to have on this day because it was the last day before Lent and we would not have sweets for the next 40 days until Easter came. This was such a treat for us because we did not get sweets often and we looked foward to this day.

I have contiuned this tradition since I moved out on my own back in the day. I would even bring my parents their favorite pastries, but now that I live in Delaware I can't do that as easily as I would like. I hope my children will contiune this with their children and so forth. It is a nice tradition to look foward to.

Enjoy your doughtnuts!!!

I am on Facebook!!

Well who would of guess I would be on facebook!!!

I was invited by a friend and it all snowballed from there. I am hoping to be able to stay in touch with the many women from my church who I may not get to talk with on Sunday and may not have to much in commom, but would love to stay in touch with and get to know better.

I also hope to find some friends I have lost contact with over the years due to a divorce, moving or by getting married and they may not know my married name. It has been fun so far to see some friends and what they are doing now. A dear friend's daughter just gave birth to twins and I would have never known had I not been on facebook.

So if you have a facebook account and may not like to blog, please request me as a friend as I would love to get to know you better.

Happy Valentine's Day

I was shopping all day with Amy today for things for the wedding and when I came home my husband (Rob) and my youngest daughter (Beth) had flowers, candy and cards for me!!! Beth had taken candy Hersey kisses and made a heart shape around the roses that Rob had gotten me. I got a beautifully worded card which made me cry and a wonderful smelling potted flower from Beth.

I in turn had given the girls candy hearts, which I have done since they were little, and the new sweetheart purse from Vera Bradley. I also do not want to leave out that I had mailed my son and Danny their Valentine as I don't want to forget them on this special day too. Happy Valentine you two I love you both.

Rob is taking me out for dinner and a movie and Stephanie offered to have Beth sleep over her house tonight.

I just love my family and I am glad to have their love in return.

Happy Valentine to all!!!

Dress Fitting

Well I can't describe the feeling of watching my baby get her dress fitted last night for her wedding. She looked like an angel all surrounded in white. I can not go into detail of what it looked like but she was glowing and had a sparkle in her eye. I will miss her.

The dressmaker Amy found is in Hockessin named Jennifer's off of Old Lancaster Pike. The shop was old-fashion with all kinds of lace and frill's everywhere. You felt like you stepped back in time, when things like a wedding was thought of as a rite of passing and the most important thing a women could do, was to marry the man she loved. Like you read in a romance novel or as for me I heard and saw from my mom.

The way the lighting and the manner of the seamstress made you feel like you were the only one getting married ever!! The attention to detail, how the bride (in this case Amy) was nervous about having her gown cut and how she was going to make it like the way Amy had envisioned was all handle with kindness and you did not feel rushed. I definitely will be taking Beth there to get her gown altered also. So if you need a seamstress I would recommend the shop, her name is Susan.

So now the gown is in the hands of a wonderful seamstress but it is in good hands.

Will post how it turned out in about March when we go for finally fitting.

I would like to invite.....

I would like to invite all of you to make comments on my blog. I love to read what you all have to think about what I have to think and say.

It would be a lot of fun to respond to your comments and feedback. It is a fun way to share and keep in touch with each other.

If you are having problems of how to either log onto the blog or to leave a comment please either email me or call me and I will be happy to help you out.

Thoughts of Love

As Valentine's Day is approching I was thinking about some of the things I love.

Here are some of them

• Love to hear the rain on a roof
• Love hearing my children laughing
• Love the sound of Rob coming up the basement steps when he comes home from work
• Love the smell of of fresh flowers
• Love that I have friends who care
• Love making people happy
• Love to see a new baby
• Love to have a sunny day
• Love the beach and sand and ocean
• Love walks on the sand in the moon light
• Love to hold hands
• Love having God in my life
• Love that we live in a free country
• Love the man and women who make that possible
• Love looking at pictures
• Love cuddling with my girls
• Love playing with the girls hair
• Love that I have a son who is a person I am very proud of
• Love that I have neices who like being around me
• Love watching it snow
• Love to have school called off
• Love shopping
• Love seeing a good movie with Rob
• Love scrapbooking
• Love long rides on a Sunday afternoon
• Love the era of when I grew up
• Love to see things bloom in the spring
• Love laughing till tears roll down my face over something only David and I get
• Love "Chinese food gives me headaches" and yes I did see a snapple bottle
• Love listening to music
• Love to dance
• Love jumping into a pile of leaves with the kids
• Love to see the kids faces on Christmas morning
• Love Christmas
• Love the simple things
• Love family gatherings
• Love getting flowers
• Love sitting by a fireplace
• Love soft things
• Love to give and get presents
• Love to see my children happy
• Love a good party
• Love to help others
• Love a starry night
• Love oldies music
• Love old movies

I could go on forever but I just wanted to jot some thoughts down and to let my love ones know that I truely love them with all my heart.

Young children and Barack Obama

I was amazed the other day as I was walking my pre-schoolers to and from the bus in the morning and afternoon.

In our hallway (we are in the first grade wing) the first graders had done a writing prompt on Barack Obama, so their work was hanging on the walls. My children were walking by and I would say about half stopped to look at the large poster of Barack Obama that was hanging in the middle of the writing pieces and comment what his name was and that he was the new president. I actually stopped in my tracks and looked at them with my mouth open. I could not believe that a 4 year old not only knew the presidents name but that in fact he was the president . Who said that children are not listening when adults talk. The had to hear it somewhere and where else but in their homes. So we need to be aware that we are teaching our children when we are discussing things as their ears are certainly open. This was not a bad thing it is good that the parents are talking about our government and teaching our children the importance of it.

It was a sad that the inauguration was not broad casted in my school so that the children could be a part of that day in history they will always remember. We could not get a feed on the computers because the computers were blocked from that kind of access to the Internet.

I hope that this generation of children will have a better understanding of government and will take pride in these United States.

Wedding Stuff again!

Hope everyone is not getting sick of hearing about the wedding but it is my life at the moment and these are my thoughts.

Last weekend we took another trip cake tasting. It turned out that we found a great cake person, Cake's by Meredith from Mangolia Delaware, I think this is how you spell the name of the town. We are very happy with her cakes. It was quite different then the first cake tasting we went to. Meredith differently knew what she was doing. We had 5 different cakes to taste and choose from with 3 different fillings. We were shown pictures or her work, explained her policy, delivery, and her timing on things. Unlike the other place where we had more questions when we left then when we got there.

The next day, Sunday, we had Floyd's graduation from Wilmington College. He graduated with a BS in Accounting with a minor in Finances. We are very proud of him and the hard work it took to achieve that.

This past weekend Stephanie, Nicole and I took care of some bridal shower things in the morning. Sorry again for not going into detail but the bride (Amy) looks here too. Then Pam, Kim, Beth and Nicole meet at Stephanie's for more bridal shower going on's and from what I was told got a lot done and settled. We then went to Floyd's graduation party and had a great time but boy and I tired after a long day.

I can not believe that the wedding is only 3 months away. It will be here before I know it and my first baby will be married. She will have a house of her own and a husband to take care of and love. I know she will be happy and that she will grow as the years go by into a wonderful wife and hopefully some day a mother herself. Then she will get the full impact of how full you life is and the rich blessing you get from being a mother and wife the two greatest callings for a woman I think. This is my dearest wish for her.

I will try and post pictures from the graduation soon, since I got a new camera I have not figured out how to download them onto my computer yet.

What have you Done?

I found this on my friend Sally's blog and thought it was fun. Copy and put in the color the things you have done in your life. Enjoy!

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower- does seeing the Northern Lights count

6. Watched an animal be born

7. Been to Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Australia
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty- the foot count for something- I watched my son do it
18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Been skiing

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Visited the Taj Mahal
54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie (home movies don't count)- do in-laws count
56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job- does the position was desolved count
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London- seen the Changing of the Guards in Rome
77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper-it was when I was 1 years old
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Have a life-threatening allergy
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake- does seeing it in person and throwing rocks in it count
97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Earned a pilots license
99. Been inside the Pentagon 

100. Been stung by a bee

A Busy Weekend

So much went on this weekend. First the girls and I went out to eat at "Cheeseburger in Paradise" to celebrate Pam's finishing her PRAXIS test and the bridal party getting together. We had a fun night.


Then on Saturday we caravaned down to the Rehoboth Beach Country Club to show the girls and to taste test the food so we can make a decision on what to serve. Boys were in one car and girls were in another. I don't have to tell you that we had a blast going down a lot of talking and laughing. We got to the RBCC and we were taken to a room and sat at a table and served 5 of the dishes to choose from. The food was great and it was a tough decision but we did it. We toured the building and got our questions answered. We are set in that department and I can rest easy for a moment.

We picked the color of the tableclothes, napkins, chair covers, still deciding on the color of sash for the chairs, who walks with who and how they will enter, what food to serve, where the seating will be, where the girls will get ready, what time the guys need to be there, and the girls, when the rehersal will be, plus the time of rehersal,having Mair work with Cheryl at RBCC, gave vendors list to Cheryl, what to do in case of rain, where the girls will stand before they are announced, how the guys will be at the arch, who will stand at the arch with Floyd, and other details. This was the discussion and decisions that were made that day.





Then after we were finished with the details of the wedding, off we went to our first taste testing for cake. It was a women Amy found online who lived in the Bethany Beach area, not far from where we were. We caravaned to the house. Called to see if it was ok since we were an hour early and it was so we went inside. We were seated and given a slice of a three layer cake with a strawberry filling. Amy had asked for strawberry since it is Floyd's favorite. After everyone tasted the cake we kind of was waiting for the next flavor to come to find out that that was all she had for us. So we thanked her and left.

Now I have never been to one before but I thought there would have been more then one kind of cake to test. Who knows??? I hope next weeks tasting will go better. I will keep you posted.


The weekend is not over... After the cake tasting we grabbed something to eat at Grotto"s and headed home. We drop everyone off and headed to Stephanie's house for a pow wow on the Bridal shower. Sorry I can not give more detail as the bride (AKA AMY) also reads my blog and she would be sneaky enough to look. :)

The Inauguration; My thoughts

Tomorrow Beth will go to school and a new President of the United States will be sworn in. She will watch it on TV in school and may not know what a historical event it will be. Barack Obama will be the first Black President in our history. I find it ironic that is should fall on the day after Martin Luther King Day, a man who stood for civil rights and equality. What would his thoughts be on this day to see the nation he loved united? I am sure that Beth will have some questions about the Inauguration and I hope we can have a great discussion on it and answer her questions:
1) For one, we will have to learn how to spell his name.
2) How will this affect his family life, because he seems to appear as an involved dad?
3) What are the responsibilities of Michelle Obama and her two girls now that their dad is President? Because I am sure it is hard to see your DAD in meetings with important people they may not be allowed to be around plus things like him not being around to tuck them in at night as he may have done in the past.
4) He will be the first President (I think) to have his mother-in-law live at the White House which is another first for the President.

I cannot imagine what is going on in President Elect Obama’s mind. Is he able to do the task before him? Will he be a good President? Will he be able to get this country back on its feet and how? How will he handle the war and bring our troops home?

I cannot imagine the responsibilities this position brings with it. When they are running for President I often wonder if they are told all they will be dealing with before they sign up to run? Do they really know the awesome task of running this country?
It will be a big day tomorrow for this nation and I am glad I will be a part of it. These are just some of my thoughts on such an important day in our history.

A New Year Wish

I have heard and seen many New Year Wishes but I just thought this was a good one to post. I saw it on another post (Pots and Pins : http://www.potsandpins.com/blog/page/2/). I wish it to everyone who views this blog and you may past it on to anyone you may want to wish this to.


My Wishes for You in 2009

May peace break into your house and may thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires and may happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you had forget your home address!



Put simply - May 2009 be the best year of your life!!!

The "NEW" Twilight DVD

The new Twilight DVD can be preodered on Amazon.com The release date is not mention so keep an eye or ear out for that.

The news is March 21st the DVD will be available so mark your calendars!!!

Wedding Central

Well as you can see the wedding plans are in full swing. We have turned our dining room into WEDDING CENTRAL. It is the hub of all activities. All planning and thinking goes on here. The decisions are in the minds and we need to hash them out here. Yes there will be arguing, crying, difference of opinions, indecisions, smiles and I am sure laughing.

We have 4 months to count down and I know we can make it.:)

Welcome 2009!!

Floyd, Beth and Amy getting ready to welcome in the new year.







Rob and I about to go out and welcome in the new year.










Amy and Beth at midnight. It was cold outside and we were the only ones who were out at midnight.

Happy New Years!!

This past year has brought many good and not so good things but I do not want to dewell on them. My New Year's Resolutions this year are:

1. to be the best person I can
2. to hug my children as often as possible
3. for Rob and I to love each other more, if that is possible
4. to have God in my life and have him guide me
5. for my friends to know that even if I am not in their lives every day I love them and think of them often.
6. to enjoy God's creations every day
7. enjoy every day
8. not to sweat the small stuff
9. read and expand my mind
10. work to the best of my ability
11. have fun every day
12. think of others
13. help others when I can and to my ability
14. make people smile and feel good about themselves
15. to really listen when I am confided in


To my family and friends I wish you all a very Happy New Year and I hope and pray that it will be filled with love, happiness, joy and prospity. Know I love and keep every one of you dear to my heart. I pray for you every day and hope the best to you.