Friday Fave 5 & Sat. 9

So hard to believe I am now 70! My mind doesn't feel that old, but my body does remind me I am. But I am trying to take care of myself better. I just can't believe how quickly the days and years go by now. I have been blogging since 2002, first at my website and then here at Blogger since 2021. So now for Friday Faves 5 and Saturday 9

1.Thankful to have lunch with my son Daniel and his wife Melinda last week. They did a great job planning the family birthday party! There were about 45 people and a few missing. It was just great to have the family together! I posted pictures on my previous post, but here is the whole family. I was also happy to see my cousin/bestie at my party and she took this family picture.

2.Thankful for our 51st wedding anniversary. We were going to go to the beach, but we were so tired, we just stayed home until dinner. Then we went to Kings Fish House in our own city.

3. Thankful for dinner at Hong Kongs on Monday since it was closed on Tuesday.  It was nice to go home and have cake and include the fur babies.

4. Thankful that my hubby took me to a scrap store and then Olive Garden for lunch. Renee picked up Eddie and Jazzy and took them out for Jazzy's birthday and shopping. I was able to go to Bible study.

5. Thankful to go to senior fellowship on Wednesday morning and a relaxing day in the spa today.

Saturday 9: Colors of the Wind (1995)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.

1) Number 1 on the charts in August 30 years ago, "Colors of the Wind" is from the Disney hit, Pocahontas. Have you seen it? Yes, we saw it at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood/LA when it came out. We bought the VHS when it came out and we have seen it on Disney channel. My daughter got all the Pocahontas things that Christmas. I think I still have some McD toys.

2) This song celebrates the glories of nature. Have you spent much time outdoors this summer? If yes, what have you enjoyed doing? I have not spent much time outside. Just a few times in the spa. I can see the hummingbirds and bees by the flowers. I can see the breeze blow the flags and chimes. It is peaceful out there. Oh, the family party was outside, and the weather was great! 

3) Lyricist Stephen Schwartz said he was inspired by the works of Chief Seattle, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Who is your favorite author? Margaret Mitchell who wrote Gone with the Wind, James Michener and the men who wrote The Left Behind Series. Tim LaHaye and Gary Jenkins. His son Dallas Jenkins is the writer/producer of The Chosen.

4) This week's artist, Vanessa Williams, came to national attention as Miss America 1984. In the talent competition she sang "Happy Days Are Here Again." Over the years, contestants have sung, recited original poetry, danced, twirled batons, performed gymnastics and demonstrated martial arts. Which of your talents would wow the judges? Bible journaling.

5) Her family tree includes William A. Fields, who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives in the late 19th century. Are you interested in genealogy? I joined Ancestry.com to learn more about it. But only US information was included in the basic level. I did not want to spend money for the international. 

6) Vanessa supports the non-profit Dress for Success, which helps unemployed and underemployed women prepare with career coaching, networking and professional attire. Have you ever gone into a job interview found yourself unprepared? Or, if you prefer, tell us about an interview you confidently aced. It has been a long time since I had a job interview. 1975 for my post office job. The one that was more challenging was to be a day camp counselor in 1979. There were a lot of college applicants, and my sister and I both got in. It was for a 6 weeklong summer program or underprivilege kids. We took a weeklong vacation with the money we made, and the experience was rewarding.

Let's look at the summer of 1995.

7) 1995's best-selling new car was the Ford Taurus. That summer, dealers were promoting a 6.9% APR loan or $1,500 cash back with purchase. This summer, drivers with good credit might get a better deal because the average APR for new car loans is a little lower. Do you keep your eye on fluctuating interest rates? No

8) English yachtswoman Lisa Clayton made history by sailing solo around the world. It took her 10 months. Would you be comfortable spending months and months alone? No, but I would love to take another cruise!

9) Legendary New York Yankee Mickey Mantle died in 1995. How is your baseball team doing this season? The Angels are doing good, and the Dodgers have not done as well so far.

Thanks to Susanne and Sam for the memes. Link are on the left.

Currently & Tuesday 4

I am spending my last day of the 60's as I write this and I will post it on the 12th, my 70th birthday today along with my granddaughters' 16th. The big family birthday party this past Saturday was great!

Sunday we celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary! We had plans to go to the beach for seafood. But we were so tired we decided to watch church online, then catch up with several episodes of Andor, part of the Star Wars series on the Disney Plus channel. We went to Kings Fish House and had a great dinner.

On Monday we met at our favorite Chinese food place for dinner and then went back to our house for cake. All the dogs were there too and we were able to get a grands picture outside. 

1. What are some essential classic books that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime? 

I would say the Bible

2. Monday September 22 is the first day of Autumn. That is my dad's birthday. He and my mom were avid book readers and had bookcases filled with books. 

Would you make up a list for us of books that you think would make great Autumn reading? So I got a few books of theirs that I would be good reading for anytime. I have my mom's Gone with the Wind book. I have my dad's Michener's book called Mexico and Hawaii.

3 What genre will we find most in your library? Sci Fi, Romance, adventure, biography, non fiction, mystery? Historical fiction. What do you like most about the genre? I like history, especially Biblical My favorite series is the Left Behind(16) and AD Chronicles (12). My current library also has many Bibles in different versions. I also have my grandmother's Bibles and my dad's. Israel My Beloved by Kay Arthur is another favorite. It tells the history of the Jewish people in a love story.

4 What book would you like to see made into a movie? Any idea on who should be cast in the rolls?

I can't think of anything. But I would suggest the Chosen series. I might have to add the books to my library. I am glad that I did not know any of the cast. The producer/creator of the series is the son of one of the author's of the Left Behind series. They really do their research for their work.

Birthdays, Tuesday 4 and Wednesday Hodgepodge

We celebrated Daniel(hat) and Melinda's 40th birthday at Lucille's.

Later we took Elijah and Audrina to the church school fundraiser.

On Sunday we went to first service at church and then we went to

brunch at the Pomona Mining Company with Daniel and Melinda. The food was great!

Its Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 once again and I thought it might be nice to talk about our gardens or house plants.  After all, houseplants are indoor gardens and fish aquariums can be water gardens.

1. Do you have a garden indoors or outdoors?  Houseplants count, I think.  If not, why don't you have them? I have some pothos growing in water in the house. I have a succulent plant in the house that my sister

made me. We have lots of succulents in the front yard and backyard. We have about 12 rose plants in the front yard along the side. We also have some plumerias growing and they smell so good!

2. Have you visited Longwood Gardens or any of the large gardens and horticultural sites around the world or your state? Tell us about it. A couple of years ago we went to Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach CA. I would like to go when they decorate for Christmas. We went a few years ago for our anniversary after having lunch at the beach.

3.  Most people really enjoy a little garden, but I think we sometimes make too many excuses not to do things we really would enjoy. Too busy, not enough space, etc.  But if we put our minds to it, anything is possible Do you believe that? I used to garden a lot for many years. Once we moved to this home, I was excited to get my rose garden going. I enjoy my plumerias too. But since I started Bible journaling, I spend most of my time doing that. My husbands will pick flowers in the morning and bring them in for me. They smell so good too!

4. Ideally, what flowers, shrubs and trees do you want in your little garden real or imagined? 

I would like to get a yellow plumeria. We had a nice one that died because of heavy rainfall. 

1. Did you watch any coverage of the 9/11 services on Monday? Yes.

How do you feel on this day some 22 years after the events occurred? I am glad this day is not forgotten. It is history and all history, whether good or bad should be taught. 

 

2. September 13th is National Peanut Day...do you like peanuts? Your favorite dish that contains peanuts? Yes, I enjoy peanuts. I like to eat peanut butter with apples or a bananas for my evening snack. I love peanut butter cookies and Reese's Peanut Butter cups.

3. Something you're currently 'nuts' about? The heating pad I am using for my ribs and back. My ribs are healing, but my back hurts mor in one sport. I guess I jarred it too when I got hurt. I am waiting to get an appointment with the endocrinologist that handles osteoporosis. I am going to see if they can do an x-ray of my spine to see if there are any changes in my spine.

4. Your favorite Peanuts character? There are several quizzes online if you're curious...I took two and got the same character for both so I'm sure it's accurate lol. (Click here for the link) Marcy.

5. Tell us about a job you worked 'for peanuts'? Probably my first job as babysitter.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I need to get to bed earlier. It is almost midnight!

This is the picture I took from the last full moon. I used a Cannon camera with a zoom.

Friday Fav Five, Saturday 9 and Celebrations!

I have a busy few days ahead of me so I am doing Friday Fave Five and Saturday 9.

1. Thankful for the rain Thursday morning that cooled things off to the 80's.

2. Thankful to celebrate 49 years of marriage today. I was 18 years old and turned 19 two days later.  My husband was 19 and turned 20 two months later. 

3. Thankful for our great lunch at the Mission Inn. Also, a visit to the antique store where I found two books for my granddaughter. She needs them for her honors Language arts class. Homer's the Odyssey and To Kill a Mockingbird. I also bought her a Jane Austen book last week and she has a couple of Shakespear books. She thinks she want to be a writer.

4. Thankful for finding the right luggage and backpack for my trip next week to Oregon.

5 Thankful to share a birthday with my granddaughter on Saturday. She will do her own thing with her friends on Saturday and our whole family will get together for lunch after church on Sunday.

Saturday 9: Diana (1957)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Legend has it that Paul Anka wrote this song about his favorite babysitter. In your younger days, did you make a little extra money as a sitter? Yes, I did.

2) Paul sings he doesn't care what "they" say about his love for an older girl. Have you ever had a romantic relationship that your friends or family didn't approve of? My parents did not want me to marry so young. But I did. Yeas later I understood why they felt the way they did.

3) Paul was once a choirboy, singing with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir in Ontario. Have you ever performed with your church choir? Yes, I sang in choir in my youth during my teen years. It was there I learned The Lord is my Shepherd. I have not been able to find the music. I sand this hymn to all my kids and grandkids when I was rocking then in my rocking chair.

4) When Paul was 15, he left Ontario to find fame and fortune in New York. He had $100 in his pocket, a gift from his uncle. Tell us about someone in your life who believed in you and encouraged you. 

That would be my dad. Both my parents encouraged me in their own way. But I was daddy's girl and he and I had a special bond. He has been gone 10 years now and I still miss him. I was looking at pictures of when we all went to Maui in 2012. He and my husband shopped in Lahaina while my sister and I were snorkeling at Molokini. He bought a pretty box in one of the stores. A couple of months later, he gave it to me. I guess the fire in Lahaina has made me think of him.

5) Paul seldom gets credit for one of his most familiar compositions: the theme to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Since Johnny retired in 1992, The Tonight Show has been hosted by Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon. Which of these Tonight Show hosts is your favorite?

Jimmy Fallon

6) In 1978, Paul Anka hired Las Vegas' first female bartender for his restaurant, Jubilation. Where did you most recently dine out? 

The Mission Inn in Riverside California. It is famous and has been visited my several presidents. The Fox Theater is about a block away. It is the theater that Gone with the Wind had it's pre premier showing the cast and crew. Later it had its grand opening in Atlanta.

7) In 1957, when "Diana" was a hit, Wham-O began producing Frisbees. The toy was a massive success, even outselling the hula hoop. Do you enjoy tossing a Frisbee? I did when I was a kid and I also enjoyed the hula hoop.

8) Also in 1957, the book Peyton Place was made into a blockbuster film. Book lovers often say that no matter what, the movie is never as good as the book. Do you think that's true? It depends. I have seen Gone with the Wind several times on the big screen. I have read the book 7 times. The book has more information than the movie.

9) Random question: This Saturday, the treat's on Sam. Will you have buttered popcorn, caramel corn or cheese popcorn? Caramel corn!

Sunday Stealing/Birthday update

1. What subjects lead you down a Wikipedia rabbit hole? My  crafty group does a virtual excursion each month. This month we are in Nashville TN. So I will look at information there and then I go from one link to another. I learned a lot of things I never new.

2. How do you like to spend your birthdays? At the beach. So this year we went to Newport Beach and sat and enjoyed the sights, sounds and smell of the ocean. We were there for about 2 hours. Then we walked to the Crab Cooker and enjoyed some yummy seafood. I had grilled shrimp and scallops skewer, Romano Cheese potatoes and Co slaw. I also had a shrimp cocktail. Hubby got the Manhattan Clam chowder and the fish/scallop/Shrimp skewer. We went to the Crab Cooker for one of our first dates back in 1973. We told them we were celebrating my birthday and our anniversary and they brought me a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Later we met up with my family and I had bbq ribs, chicken and salad.

3. Something you might take a little too seriously? My osteoporosis. 

 

4. Describe a time you made a good decision for yourself. Staying at the Postal Service for my career. It wasn't what I went to school for, but I was able to make good money while working part time. This allowed me to stay home during the day with the kids and hubby watched them when I went to work. Social work was just to depressing for me. I started out as a mail sorter, but I end up getting hurt a couple of times. I eventually got retrained and the whole world of computers opened up for me!

 

5. Something you’ve improved/gotten better at. My Bible knowledge and my creative abilities.

 

6. What dish would you bring to a summer potluck? A salad.

7. What do you miss about Winter? Using soft warm blankets while watching tv and drinking tea.

8. Share a summer memory. When I was growing up, we would go to Newport Dunes every summer with my dad's family. My grandma would bring the whole kitchen with her. It was fun swimming with my cousins and we never had to worry about food. I think that is why I like to go with my grandkids. We don't go often, but at least we are making memories.

9. Words you misspell or misuse the most. I tend to make typing mistakes more than spelling. I have done that with  the word Bible journaling. 

 

10. Things you love to do, that can only happen in summer. 4th of July celebration. Trips to the beach.

 

11. How would you describe your sense of humor? I am freer to joke around more than I use to.

 

12. Have you ever quit a job or career? Yes I did quit two job to get a better paying job.

13. What are your favorite features of your cell phone? The camera.

14. What scents always make you hungry? Beans cooking. My husband cooks them in the morning and
the smell will wake me up. They also make me think of my grandma.

15. What are you working on right now? My crafts,  for the virtual trip to Nashville. I am also watching The Golden Girls.

Happy Sunday!