SATURDAY SPARKS…

Welcome to another Saturday Sparks:  Playing around with my iPhone and PicMonkey to create this version of my Madeline Hatter doll, set on my Coca Cola dining table.

Do you like creating blog headers using items (or dolls) around the house?

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Earlier today I watched the Hallmark Murders & Mystery Channel.  I do enjoy the shows on that channel, especially the Mystery 101 and the Aurora Teagarden Mysteries.  Then I set my DVR to record some later shows.

I really should be reading right now, but for some reason, I am taking a break from my Kindle.

I did write my Weekly Updates post, however; check it out!

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What do you enjoy doing on a lazy Saturday?

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SPARKING SOME FUN ON A SATURDAY…

Weekends are a time for play…and change, too…sometimes.  Today was one of those days, as I had enjoyed a manicure and lunch out with soup and a margarita.

I changed out the header from the one below, featuring some favorite dolls.  I love images of quirky things, and the big eyes of the Madeline Hatter dolls are all about whimsical, quirky things. But I also love the colorful VW you now see in my header…I was missing it.

Since it is February, I think about how this blog began, back on a Blogger site, which I called “Snow Connections,” a play on actual snow and spotlighting fun times in the icy substance with my two granddaughters, born in February 1997.  Their images were on my blog header back then.  Below, adventures in the snow at the cabin on a day in February 2004.

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What do you like to do on weekends?  Do you have fun changing things on your blog(s)?

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LET’S IGNITE SOME SPARKS ON A SATURDAY…

 

 

It’s time to ignite our connections…again.  And in honor of this blog, I brought some SNOW into it with this new header…and the little pink VW is a reminder of days gone by.  I never had a pink VW…but I did have two shades of blue:  a light blue, followed by a dark blue.

I love orange cars, too, and this one has been on my blogs a few times:

 

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And then I love this one:

 

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My youngest grandson is spending the weekend—playing X-Box, while talking to his friends through his headphones—and enjoying some pizza slices.

 

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I also relished a couple of slices with a glass of wine.  I’ve been hanging out in my office all day:

 

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I’m almost finished with Little Broken Things, by Nicole Baart…a page turner.

 

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That’s my Saturday night…I’ll also be watching movies and TV shows.

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ASSORTED MOMENTS: SATURDAY SNAPSHOTS

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

Here are some assorted photos, showcasing family, home, and moments…

On the right, Aubrey and friend are kicking back at the university she attends.

 

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Fiona is having a melodramatic moment…with stripes.

 

 

 

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Earlier this week, I decided to celebrate not having a disastrous visit with the tax accountant…Mac & Cheese, a salad, and a Pomegranate Martini…

 

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Back home, I am enjoying some time in my office…this is the part of the room with couch, TV, etc.   I hardly spend any time on this sofa…since I’m usually on the computer, in my little nook, which isn’t visible in this photo.

 

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My usual hideout in this room…I’ve shown it before….

 

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My granddaughter Fiona loves to create art…and this is a rendition of hers, a self-portrait of sorts….sparks anyone?  To me, it seems to ignite something.  Notice it on my header today, too.

 

 

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That’s it for today…what are you sharing?

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SATURDAY SPARKS: PHOTO MEMORIES

 

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

Today’s feature will include some more photos from the Berliners’ visit…and a surprise at the end.

The General Grant Tree is huge…and kind of famous.  Luckily, in August, when the Berliners’ visited, all was well in the park.  Just a few weeks later, there were ongoing “rough fires” that took days to control.

 

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Here Gabi and Craig enjoyed hugging up against the General Sherman Tree.

 

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I love this setting:  a redwood center surrounded by big trees.

 

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Here’s my little surprise:  Fiona (Pheona on Facebook, LOL) loves to create cartoons of her and her boyfriend Tomas.  They are so cute and have a very similar and somewhat quirky sense of humor.

 

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That’s it for today!  The Berliners are back in Berlin…getting ready to find a new place in Prague.  What are you sharing today?

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SATURDAY SPARKS: “GILDING THE LILY”

 

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.

It is the time of year for senior proms…and for spring-like events.  Here are a couple of those special times:  First we have a shot of my granddaughter Fiona and her date to the prom….

 

 

 

 

 

Now here is a photo of me, snapped on a special night, with a festive banquet,  ‘way back in the day.   I’ll give you a hint:  It was the mid-sixties, when hairstyles were still poofy….just before they turned “hippie-like” and straight, with the hair parted in the middle.

 

 

 

How everything changes with the passage of time!

What are you sharing today?  I hope you’ll stop by and share your comments and links.

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SATURDAY SPARKS: BIRTHDAY GIRLS!

 

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy.

Today I’m continuing the birthday celebrations for my granddaughters, Aubrey and Fiona, who turn 18 this month.  Aubrey’s birthday is February 13, and Fiona’s is on February 21.  Twin cousins.

 

Here are some moments from their lives, from infancy onward.  This first one is of Aubrey…a collage of sorts, showcasing her in the first year of her life.  The top one was taken in a studio, and the second one, by my son Craig, the photographer.

 

 

 

Here is one of Fiona right after she came home from the hospital.  She and her parents were living in my guesthouse back then.    The stuffed toy accompanied her everywhere during the early years.

 

 

 

Fast forward to the year they turned seven.  Here they are at the cabin in Big Bear, enjoying the snow.

 

 

 

Here’s one of the two girls in 2012, at a family get-together (15-year-old cousins)

 

 

 

Finally…some present day shots…Fiona, below:

 

And Aubrey, spotlighting the birthday cake:

 

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It has been a great journey watching these girls grow…I’m looking forward to many more years to come.

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What are you featuring today?

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SATURDAY SPARKS: FRIENDSHIPS

 

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy.

Today I would like to spotlight friendships in their various forms.

Here is a shot of my daughter and two of her friends.  Sadly, the friend in the middle passed away this week, after a valiant fight against a long illness.

 

 

 

Fiona, right, with two friends, clowning around:

 

 

 

A few years ago, Fiona and friends showing off shoes and jeans and/or tights…

 

 

Little girl friendship:  Fiona and friend Dani….

 

 

 

Heather and a friend:  early phone addiction, 1980s style….

 

 

 

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What does your spotlight shine upon today?  I hope you’ll share your thoughts and your links.

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SATURDAY SPARKS: STARRING GRANDKIDS & GREAT-GRANDKIDS

 

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy.

This week, I am sharing more family photos.

First, here is another version of Fiona, who is in a constant state of change.

 

 

And here’s her older brother Dominic, who just started college this year, and has grown a couple more inches.

 

 

 

And here again, another version of Fiona, with one of her nephews, Lane, who is one of her older brother Kevin’s sons:

 

 

 

And here are big brother Spencer’s twin daughters, Bella and Lilly:

 

 

 

 

And as a reminder of how quickly time goes by, here’s another version of Fiona…aged two; this is one of my favorite versions:

 

 

 

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And that’s it for today.  I can’t seem to stop finding old photos, as well as the newer ones.  I found the older one of Fiona when I was clearing out bins, cupboards, trunks, etc., this past week.

I seem to be in a mood for purging.

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SATURDAY SPARKS: FUN IS WHEREVER YOU FIND IT….

Welcome to our regular feature, Saturday Snapshot, our opportunity to showcase photos we or friends and family have captured.  The event is now hosted by West Metro Mommy.

Today’s featured photos are an assorted group of family fun moments.

First, here’s Heather’s Birthday Brunch, from a couple of weeks ago.  She’s the one in the middle.

 

 

And a few hours away, Brett and his three A’s are enjoying a game:

 

 

Fiona and Tomas…with her latest experimental hair color…and a fake nose ring.  Yes, fake!

 

 

As you can see, an assorted bunch trying out a variety of fun experiences.  What are you sharing today?

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