FRIDAY SPARKS: A DOLL STORY…

These “hippie” dolls named Dylan and Harmony have been my little friends for many years.  They have “lived” in my A-frame house in the foothills; my condo in the city; and now, finally, in my studio apartment where they stand on my filing cabinet.  There they are, guarding the cabinets and the folding chair, lol.

Small spaces demand different roles for these dolls.  They began their life with me on shelves of various kinds, including this special bookshelf at my last residence.  They mixed it up with my Red Hat trinkets and some Boyd’s bears.  They also shared the attention of photos of Ireland snapped by my eldest son, who lived there for more than a year:

Finally they are gracing the blog header here. My last dolls to decorate this site were my Madeline dolls, and I am still very fond of them, but giving them a respite from the spotlight.

They still share space in my current apartment on the entry way cabinet:

Before the entry way, they posed atop my desk.

Did you enjoy the little history lesson?  Maybe not, but I know that everyone has a story, including the dolls who live with me.

Enjoy the Christmas holidays, and have a wonderful and happy New Year.

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SATURDAY SPARKS: SPOTLIGHTING INTERIOR & EXTERIOR MOMENTS

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.

Spring brings wonderful days to family, and here are some special moments.  First, my niece Amy and her eldest son Luc are enjoying the hammock under the big trees.

 

 

 

 

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Luc and his dog are also hanging out under the trees…

 

 

 

 

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Enjoying our northern beaches near Crescent City are my son and DIL’s dog Augie, playing with a seal….

 

 

 

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Fiona has a new job, and here she is enjoying some relaxation after a work day.

 

 

 

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I switched some things around in my bedroom, so I could watch Netflix via my laptop/TV hook-up…this table with lamp, books, and dolls once lived across the room, below:

 

 

 

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Here’s the TV/laptop set-up, ready to be connected via the HDMI cable….I think I’ll spend some time watching this weekend, since my bedroom feels really cozy now.

 

 

 

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Today I got my first Mother’s Day gifts…delivered: the bear, the box of edible goodies, and a balloon:

 

 

 

 

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I received an edible treat:  delicious chocolate covered strawberries….I am trying not to eat too many too quickly….

 

 

 

 

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For the fun of it, I posed the Madeleine Hatter doll with my Mary Engelbreit cottage:

 

 

 

 

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That was my week….what did yours look like?  Happy Mother’s Day to all who have children, grown or small.

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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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MONDAY SPARKS: BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS!

Welcome to another Monday of Musing, hosted by Jenn, at A Daily Rhythm.  Check out the prompts:

 

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

 

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: How do you choose which books you read?

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I am very excited that tomorrow, my pre-order of Under the Influence, by Joyce Maynard, will come to live on Pippa, my Kindle.  I have been a fan of this author since I read her first book, published when she was a teenager:  Looking Back:  A Chronicle of Growing Up Old in the Sixties.

Another favorite from her, which I still have on my bookshelves, is a somewhat controversial memoir:  At Home in the World, the story of her teenage relationship with J. D. Salinger.  Maynard does not steer away from difficult topics, and she reveals much of herself in the characters she creates in her fiction.

 

 

 

 

Blurb:  The New York Times bestselling author of Labor Day and After Her returns with a poignant story about the true meaning—and the true price—of friendship.

Drinking cost Helen her marriage and custody of her seven-year-old son, Ollie. Once an aspiring art photographer, she now makes ends meet taking portraits of school children and working for a caterer. Recovering from her addiction, she spends lonely evenings checking out profiles on an online dating site. Weekend visits with her son are awkward. He’s drifting away from her, fast.

When she meets Ava and Swift Havilland, the vulnerable Helen is instantly enchanted. Wealthy, connected philanthropists, they have their own charity devoted to rescuing dogs. Their home is filled with fabulous friends, edgy art, and dazzling parties.

Then Helen meets Elliott, a kind, quiet accountant who offers loyalty and love with none of her newfound friends’ fireworks. To Swift and Ava, he’s boring. But even worse than that, he’s unimpressed by them.

As Helen increasingly falls under the Havillands’ influence—running errands, doing random chores, questioning her relationship with Elliott—Ava and Swift hold out the most seductive gift: their influence and help to regain custody of her son. But the debt Helen owes them is about to come due.

Ollie witnesses an accident involving Swift, his grown son, and the daughter of the Havillands’ housekeeper. With her young son’s future in the balance, Helen must choose between the truth and the friends who have given her everything.

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I know that I won’t be able to relegate this book to the bottom of the pile.  Some books just call out to be read immediately.

What are you musing about today?  As for how I pick my books, I choose from my list of favorite authors, as well as various books that I see on the blogs.  Books that are thrillers or those that reveal secrets in the relationships between the books’ characters.  Books about people that intrigue me.

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LET’S SPARK SOME FAMILY MOMENTS

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 snapshots are treasured photos of grandkids, etc.

This shot captured Noah three years ago, on the football field.  He was nine!

 

 

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And here he is again, this year, at age 12, a seventh grader:

 

 

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Now for Fiona…here she is carving pumpkins with some friends:

 

 

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And here she is enjoying a reward afterwards!

 

 

 

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Here is a shot I found just now in my photo files…it was taken a few months ago, and Fiona was clowning around in my living room, with my red boa and a hat, snatched from my coat tree:

 

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I have been busy all day today, and last night, too….I’m having my carpets cleaned next week, and I’ve been clearing out some of the little odds and ends and small furniture.  Here’s the Graveyard of these items in my garage:

 

 

 

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Since I gathered those things up and snapped this shot, I took some other items out there, too, like my wicker bench.  The coffee table, pub table, etc., will also leave the rooms…LOL.

I can’t wait until it’s all over, but I don’t think I’ll be bringing everything back in afterwards…

What are you sharing today?  Come on by and leave a link, please.

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LET’S IGNITE SOME SPARKS OF RANDOMNESS

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 I am on Saturday morning, a little late to the party…but I do have a few shots to share.

Here are a couple from Fiona, who loves doing creative things with her photos:

 

 

 

 

This shot scared me a little at first…LOL

 

 

 

 

 

And here is a long view, showing a bit of the living room and my dining room changes.  I took it with my phone, and I can never get the lighting right…but you get the idea:

 

 

 

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Now…back to reading The Hurricane Sisters.

 

 

 

 

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Happy Saturday!

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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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FRIDAY SPARKS: BOOK BEGINNINGS/FRIDAY 56 – “THE APPETITES OF GIRLS”

Welcome to some bookish fun today as we share Book Beginnings, hosted by Rose City Reader; and as we showcase The Friday 56 with Freda’s Voice.

To join in, just grab a book and share the opening lines…along with any thoughts you wish to give us; then turn to page 56 and excerpt anything on the page.

Then give us the title of the book, so others can add it to their lists!

If you have been wanting to participate, but haven’t yet tried, now is the time!

What better way to spend a Friday?

 

Today’s spotlight is on an Amazon Vine ARC, called The Appetites of Girls, by Pamela Moses.

 

 

 

Beginning:  For Old Time’s Sake – 2003

This, above all else, binds the four of us together:  standing side by side, each struggled to believe the best in herself, hearing amid the dark doubts in her mind the whisper of triumph.

Long before we grew in strength, we began life in separate corners.

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56:  “Enjoying your drink, missy?”  He cocked his head to one side, staring, so that I felt he absorbed every bit of me from the silver barrette in my hair to the wedge heels of my new shoes.

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Blurb:  For the audience that made Commencement a New York Times bestseller comes a novel about women making their way in the world. 

Self-doubting Ruth is coddled by her immigrant mother, who uses food to soothe and control. Defiant Francesca believes her heavy frame shames her Park Avenue society mother and, to provoke her, consumes everything in sight. Lonely Opal longs to be included in her glamorous mother’s dinner dates—until a disturbing encounter forever changes her desires. Finally, Setsu, a promising violinist, staves off conflict with her jealous brother by allowing him to take the choicest morsels from her plate—and from her future. College brings the four young women together as suitemates, where their stories and appetites collide. Here they make a pact to maintain their friendships into adulthood, but each must first find strength and her own way in the world.

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What do you think?  I am not quite sure about this one, but I’m hopeful. 

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SATURDAY SPARKS: FUN & CELEBRATIONS

 

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 spotlight is shining on fun events, beginning with my granddaughter Aubrey’s winning softball team.

 

Aubrey, top right – Winning Softball Team

 

Victory Dinner – Aubrey, left

 

 

And a couple of weeks ago, Steven and Heather went up into the foothills above where we live and found this lovely waterfall.

 

 

What are you sharing today?  I hope you’ll leave some comments and links.

 

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CREATIVE SPARKS: SATURDAY SNAPSHOTS — MOMENTS

 

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 featuring moments with Noah…and my own special morning in my newly painted patio.

 

Noah’s special creation:

Noah’s Band Award – (He plays the trombone):

 

Bookworm Noah:

 

 

And….this morning, I was happily reading and having breakfast on my newly fenced and painted patio.  Last week, they built the new fence, and this week they painted it.

 

 

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