Tuesday, December 29, 2009

SOPHIE'S 2010 CALENDAR..........Art.....Artists.....and one Museum!!

It's the beginning of a new year and that can only mean one thing......
Miss B's annual Calendar!!!

This year finds our little lady engulfed in the World of Art.....Miss January.....
Sophie always likes a good can of Campbell's Soup....and Andy Warhol!!

February.....Sophie really *Loves* Robert Indiana....

Miss March celebrates the Guggenheim's 50th Birthday!

In April.....
Christo has wrapped the Pont Neuf....the Florida Keys......and
Sophie!!

Miss May.....
Frida Kahlo....the early years.............

JUNE....
Sophie Channels Jackson Pollock.

In JULY Sophie snuck in to the Terrace at Sainte-Adresse

MONET'S Garden in the month of August....

In September if you've wondered why Matisse's "Incarus"
isn't at the Met anymore....
Ask Sophie.

MISS OCTOBER.....

SOPHIE'S TRIBUTE TO MAGRITTE.

November finds two sides of Kandinsky....
And one of them is Sophie!

DECEMBER.....
FINISHING UP THE YEAR IN ART....
Mondrian on the run in Manhattan.....


Mom is already brainstorming about next years calendar.....and just incase there is anyone
who missed year one and year two....here are the links....


ENJOY!!!


Saturday, December 19, 2009

FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS.........

MISS "B"........THE BOSS......AND ME.....
WISH YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

REMEMBERING TOM SNYDER..................

I was going through my desk drawers the other day when I came across
my stash of letters....cards and e-mails from Tom.....
That would be Tom Snyder of Late Night Fame.....
Let me start back a few years......Well more then just a few years......it was back in 1973 and me and the Boss
had not been married very long....We would stay up late at night
and tune in to The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder.....
We instantly became fans and would continue to watch Tom all
through the years......When daughter went away to college we had officially
hooked her on Tom as well....
How could you not become hooked....
Daughter didn't have cable t.v. or any t.v. for that matter up in Ithaca
so I would tape Tom's shows for her and mail them up every couple of weeks...
After all those years we felt like Tom was part of the family....
For any of you that watched his shows he always had a segment where the viewers could
call in and ask Tom and his guests questions or just call in to chit chat....
Tom was a great chit chatter......
Not watching the shows live daughter was unable to call in so the Mom...
that would be me.....sent the infamous letter off to Tom's house asking if he
would reverse the process and give daughter a call at college.....
A few of my readers here on the blog even remember the night
the crazy college girl sang "There's No Business Like Show Business" on the air....
Now I know what your asking yourself.....How did she know where Tom lived....
Both Tom and the Boss were big Lionel Train collectors and they were
both in the same organization of wacky men that collect
toy trains.....
Hence there was a directory of all the members with their home address'....
I never expected to hear a word.....little did I know what a kind man Tom was.....
One night daughter called home all excited that Tom had indeed called her....
And he told her to call home and let Mom know that the show would play at midnight and to get the VCR fired up.....
In the letter I had told Tom that daughter did a great Ethel Merman imitation and ofcourse
Tom asked daughter to sing a few bars......
It was television history in the making......Daughter sang her little heart out and Tom was
hysterical laughing....
And we have it all on tape!!
Over the years we corresponded with each other.....through cards and notes....and
later on through e-mails.....
When daughter graduated from Law School and moved into Manhattan she moved to
50th. Street between 1st. and 2nd..........We discovered that directly behind her on 51st. street was where Tom lived when he worked in New York.....He always told the story and loved saying that he slept in
Maureen O'Hara's bed......It seems he moved into her old apartment and when she moved out the bed was too large to move so she just left it.....
When daughter and SIL married in 2002 Tom was invited to the wedding but 9/11
had just happened and Tom was not a fan of flying......but he went to
Williams Sonoma in San Francisco and picked out a gift from the registry
Which I thought was so cute and so thoughtful....
Heck some people came to the wedding and didn't bring a gift....
We always think of Tom when we go through a car wash......
Once he took "Mother Snyder" who was probably in her late 80's at the time out for the day
and he went through a car wash.....
She commented how the weather had gotten bad.....
He thought that was the funniest thing.....
In one of Tom's last notes he writes......
"If you are ever coming to California please let me know"......
I never did make the trip and Tom passed away way too early at 71
on July 29th. of 2007......

This was the last Christmas card I received from him a few years
before he passed away.....
So Tom if your up there reading blogs this one's for you....
"Fire up a Colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly
through the Air"...............

Friday, December 11, 2009

THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAODINARY BLOGGERS........

Today some of us Atlanta Bloggers had the pleasure of lunching with these amazing
Ladies.....
This is Nola and Karyn.....better known as.....
The Bloom Girls.....
Before going any further let me point out that both ladies are grandmothers......
Yes, they are truly amazing......
I should look half as good!!!
Getting together for a pre-Christmas luncheon we had quite the mix of extra special talent....
We had a Santa Maker.....
A World Class Tablescaper.....
Two Decorators.....those lovely ladies above....
A Candy Maker
and one Chatty lady that says she has no talent....
But believe me she sure does....
She posts every single day and never fails to post interesting and funny stories
and pictures and whatever else is happening in her life....
And I just love reading it everyday.....
She's like the morning paper....
she always delivers....
I stepped up onto this gorgeous porch only to find myself hunting for a door bell.....
It was hidden behind the garland so I just knocked....
But later got to actually hear the bell play "White Christmas".....
How neat is that.....I was waiting for Bing Crosby to appear....

I should have guessed from the outside decorations what was beyond the front door....
Step inside and enjoy!!

This colorful beauty greets you in the hallway.....
This was one of three trees on the first floor...

How gorgeous is this.....all silver and white and all the way to the ceiling....
This one graced the Family Room......

Decorations were everywhere.....

The perfect Tablescape.....
Something told me we were in for a great time.....

I wasn't surprised to step into the Family Room Kitchen area and see this
wonderful Gingerbread House....

I can't even imagine attempting to make one of these....
Karyn said they still had a little more work to do on it...
It looked pretty done to me...

Look at all the stockings!!
Karyn is a foster mom in the county and unselfishly welcomes these children into
her home with open arms....
We got to meet her adorable adopted daughter Madison who is 5 and is just as
cute as could be....

Look at this fancy thingie up on the ceiling....I know it has a name...but the name
escapes me.....just like what I ate today for breakfast....
It's menopause ladies....

Here is Rose and Robin hanging out in the kitchen having a
"Chat and Chew' as Rose would call it....

Miss Nola....
All the way from Nashville....
Her and Karyn share blogging duties....
And now for the food.....which was....Well....take a look for yourself.
This was warm Brie covered in Fig jam with cranberries and walnuts...
served with raisin and pecan crackers....
Do I have to tell you how good this was...
In the Butler's Pantry....

Sandy made this great salad that had strawberries and mandarin oranges with candied
walnuts....
She also made adorable marshmallow pops...
There was chicken salad on croissants.....
Everybody's "Lady's Who Lunch" favorite...

QUICHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to admit that I went back for seconds on this one....
It was so so good....
Here is my plate....
We also had a shrimp and macaroni salad made by the cook among us......
and ofcourse if you invite me for lunch your going to get a loaf
of my lemon rosemary bread....
Robin made these truffles that Rose dubbed...
Reindeer Balls....
I could have eaten the whole plate....
They were fabulous....
For dessert we also had...
Ambrosia Salad
A pistachio whipped cream salad...
pumpkin cream puffs....and
cappuccino brownies
And we were all ready to die if we took another bite.....
Here are the ladies in attendance....
front to back left to right...
Rose....Santamaker's Journey
Karyn....The Bloom Girls
Sandi.....Chatty Crone...
Susan....Between Naps on the Porch
Robin...All Things Heart and Home....
and
Nola....The Bloom Girls....
Not able to attend was Joyce....of Flour Power fame and
Debbie.....at Confessions of a Plate Addict....
We missed you both....
Last year this time I had no idea who these wonderful women were....
If you were to have told me that I would have all these new friends in my life
a year later I wouldn't have believed it.....
If it wasn't for blogging I never would have discovered ladies that I have so much in common with.....
As the year comes to an end I am thankful for you all.....Here in Atlanta......and all over the country......and to my new friends in Europe as well......all your talents...
all your thoughtful comments and all your friendships....
I hope the New Year brings you all new blogging friends!!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A MILKY WHITE CHRISTMAS TABLE.......

Another Thursday Another Tablescape hosted by....
The Best Little Tablescaper in the South...
We won't be having Christmas dinner at home this year but the table is set so pictures needed to
be taken...
My table is the first thing you see when my front door opens and I always
enjoy stepping inside and seeing the table set....
I decided to set the table using some of my milk glass and some newly acquired
holiday goodies that were found for next to nothing prices....

The wreath was purchased at Home Depot for only $6.00 on Black Friday....
Intending to hang on the front door I changed my mind when I saw how
good it looked in the center of the table....
The great tureen inside the wreath was purchased a few weeks ago
in an antique store in Woodstock for $6.85....complete with ladle!!

Aren't those great looking placemats.....
They are red felt and I found those for $1.89 each at
Old Time Pottery here in Marietta...
Our Hostess Susan is a fan of OTP....she's always finding good buys there too...

Here are the little milk glass cups that I found at the GW for 50 cents a piece
And then a few weeks back while at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta
I found the matching plates....$6. for 4 plates....

Snowflake Glasses!
found at every tablescapers favorite place to find bargains.....
The Dollar Tree....
4 glasses....$4.00!!

Sandwich plates.....No need for silverware...

votive candles found at IKEA while shopping with Rose and Joyce....
12 candles in various shades of red.......99 cents for 12

I love the cutout design of the placemats.............
a little milk glass candy dish...

a little mustard jar.....and salt and pepper shakers.....
Milk glass is perfect on a Christmas Table...
The stark white and simplicity of it goes so well with
Red and Green...
Gotta have a nutcracker....

I couldn't believe the price of this tureen....
I didn't have my glasses on when I found it and had to ask
Sandi of the Chatty Crone to confirm the price....
You know your getting old when you have to have
backup to read price tags.....
two of my favorite pieces....

I went back later in the day after finding the wreath and they were
sold out within a few hours......
When you see a good buy you all know that you need to grab it when you
see it....
So is your table all set and ready for Christmas??

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a great New Year
filled with fun and festive tables!!!