Wise Words...and MY choices.

First Lady Michelle Obama has stated: "We should always have three friends in our lives—one who walks ahead who we look up to and follow; one who walks beside us, who is with us every step of our journey; and then, one who we reach back for and bring along after we’ve cleared the way."

I am very sexist when it comes to this statement, I seem to just think of my close "girlfriends" when thinking this through...LOL. (Although, my hubs is my best friend, too.)

I know, above and beyond, the friend that I look up to; her name is Kathy Randall, KR. She lives in New Orleans and since meeting her and seeing the life she lives--through actions, not words, my life has become a better life. I have learned that you do not do things to get credit for them...you do them because it is the right thing to do or to make a change--a change for the better--for someone, something, or someplace...or just for yourself.

My friend that walks beside me will always be Christie Arnold, C2. All the things in my life that have mattered for the most part, good and bad, we have shared. She is the best friend that all of us want and so few of us ever get. I am honestly blessed! Time between our chats and visits may be long sometimes...but we pick right back up where we were, as if no time has expired.

Picking someone I reach back for was hard. I like to think since I have 2 hands I can reach back for 2 people and those would be my 2 girls, Catarina and Claudia. I like to think that all the mistakes that I have made gives me the wisdom to share with them, so that they never have to make those mistakes in their life. I know they will stumble, but if they learn anything from me, I hope it's that one can fall, but is only a failure when they don't try again.

I am very fortunate to have many friends, a lot with in my own family, and I learn so much from all of them. I believe, in all aspects of our life, it takes a village...and that we should all work on ours.

CBB

Sunday date with Mr. Chad

Today was a great "date" day!

We always start with breakfast @ Bob Evans.

Then a quick stop at Walmart,

(where there was a 2 hour wait for an oil change)

for some home necessities...

but not an oil change!

Also, am I crazy that I totally love buying cereal and cleaners in the same place!

...and look at that 1st pic, Kudos to the Coke man!

We then stopped at the Pauley Bridge,

which I had no idea had a name until we stopped.

It was a beautiful day, so we walked, talked,

held hands and kissed,

as we strolled over the bridge.

It was a wonderful and happy time!

I love spending time with my ol' pal my hubs!

It was a good day!

Psych

Rarely, do I ever start watching a series 5 seasons in, but since December, I have done just that for 2 different shows.

Catarina and I, got totally into Dr. Who over the Christmas break and now, I am 3 seasons into one of the funniest shows on TV...Psych.

I, also, have Desperate Housewives and The Rockford Files (Yes, that show from the 70's) waiting in line. This Netflix thing is a blessing...or a curse. I am not sure, yet.

However, I do feel lazy because I should be working on the house, but it's just too cold for that...LOL. Currently, I'm hooked on Shawn and Gus and it's just going to have to do for now!

Wednesdays are for Weddings!

Jen and Kristi are doing a Wednesdays are for Weddings blurb each week, and since this little blog started as a countdown to my wedding...I have decided to join them.

If, and when, I remember to post on this day each week, I am going to share ideas about colors, themes, flowers, cakes, centerpieces, etc...or just any ol' thing the other gals are talking about that day.

Today, I want to remember our cake. I loved it! It was one of my fave things from the day...so simple, yet it summed up everything we wanted out of this marriage and our future life together!

Results

Since January 3rd, I have lost 12-13 pounds. I know that is a great weight loss, and I am not denying it; I want to see it, though. I want to be able to stand in front of the mirror and see it.
My clothes are already getting a little looser and I definitely have more energy, but I want to see a more svelte me looking back from the mirror...not the struggling girl who really wants a cookie--a whole pack of cookies(Oreos) to tell the truth.

I hear all the time, and read it too, lose weight for you. I understand that...I want to be healthy, but having no thyroid makes it hard to lose, but easy to gain. After my cancer and radiation, I still thought I would maintain 150-160, but I haven't and it is very hard to do.

For no reason, do I just want to be thin! I just want to be the "usual" size me. A good size 8-10...any bigger than that and my clothes start looking like Sue Sylvester's--a warm-up for every day of the week...LOL.

This is a hard journey, but I'm not giving up; but I also wish, they made magic beans to fix it over night. I'll let you know if I ever run into Jack...LOL, but then again, if I did I'd probably bake his golden goose.

CBB

Netflix to the Wii

If you do not see me or hear from me, you can thank my husband. He decided we needed Netflix on the Wii. Oh, how wrong I thought he was, but...I was wrong! This is the greatest thing to come along since sliced bread! Over the next few weeks, I plan to watch movies and TV from, as far back as, my early childhood. I plan on watching complete series of shows that I have wanted to watch over the last year. I am addicted to this thing. I am thinking...my elliptical will fit right in front of my TV. This Wii thing really is good for workouts...LOL.
CBB

Chad, Karen, and Chris Bailey

I really have never been concerned with the weather. Of course, that has lead to some problems for me in the past. (You live in New Orleans and see people packing their cars with pictures and family heirlooms...you know a hurricane is coming.)

Over the past month and a half though, we have had some "HINKY" weather to say the least, but it all has pretty much been predicted correctly by this guy over here.

Chris Bailey is a KY boy, born and raised not far from my hometown, who has a weather blog. (He is, also, the chief meteorologist for WSAZ in WV--which is the home of the former Mr. Cartoon and Beeper show--a little shout out to my younger days.)

His blog:http://kyweathercenter.com/
is a spot-on, break-down of what is happening in your neck of the woods. He knows his stuff!

As many of you have read before, my hubs is a weather buff. He likes knowing all that stuff about clouds, moisture, fronts, etc. My cousin Karen must be into weather, too. In fact, I guess Everybody LOVES Chris because these 2 are quoting him ALL the time and now so are others.

So here is today's story:
This morning, Karen calls and wakes me out of a beautiful slumber with these words, "We are getting a foot of snow Monday-Wednesday." Now, first off, I was half asleep and thought she said "8 foot" not "a foot" of snow, but then realized she would have said "8 feet". Regardless, I was like, "where did you here that?"...and what do you think she said...
CHRIS BAILEY!

So, I just want to get it out there, I do have my weather info down these days.
Thank you Chad, Karen, and Chris Bailey.
I now know when to run and get bread and milk!

CBB

Wordle

Where have I been? How did I not know about this website? It is unbelievable! A friend of mine posted on my FB page about Google's "doodle" commemorating the 50th anniversary of JFK's inaugural speech. (Everyone knows I love me some Google doodles.)

The link that she sent gave a comparison to the "doodle" being like something from Wordle. I was like, what the heck is Wordle?

Thank you, Jennifer Jude!

For years, nah, my whole life, I have been obsessed with words and here is a site that can take anything written and highlight words and make ART! They have some great examples, like the one I have shown in this post, but anyone can create their own.

I urge you to go check it out. It is a great site and I can't wait to see what I come up with over there!

CBB

Happy Birthday, Claudia Ilse Marnye Buettner!

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday Dear Claudia-Loo!

Happy Birthday to you.

Claudia, We love you very much and realize that as you get older, you may find it weird that ALL of your parents seem to always be in your business. Please, know it is only because we love you more than you could ever imagine and only want the best for you. Hold on tight to this 12th year, because your teenage wasteland is just around the corner.

Love,

Mom, Mr. Chad, Sister, Dad, Ms. Trish, and Ella

*Picture courtesy of Amanda Compton Photography

4 Fave dresses of Golden Globes 2011

I love the Golden Globes!

It is my fave award show...

and I love Ricky Gervais as host!

The show was good, but on to the fashion!

Some of the dresses this year were just awful!
I liked the above 4 most of all,

but would modify most of them a tad, as well.

The #1 Rule(for me): No fishtails at all...or whatever they are called.

Why in the world would you wear a dress that everyone could

...and will...step on?

If I wanted to get crazy I would wear a sleek dress and maybe some

funky-colored shoes,

but not 2 different shoes like Helena Bonham Carter...bleck!

Fashion was weird last night, but about the same as year's past.

Kudos to some of the men, though:

Kevin McHale from Glee and Robert Downey, Jr. really stood out for me

and Jon Hamm, but he would look good in a towel

...or even better IN just a towel...LOL.

Hope you enjoyed the Globes.

Thank you HFPA.

True Grit

Wow.
It is all I can keep saying in my mind.
What a beautiful movie.
One so masterfully crafted, it could have only come from the Coen Brothers. (One day soon, I am going to dedicate a whole post to these amazing movie makers.)

I am not a western watcher, but have seen several in my life that, I feel, were the top of their genre. For example, Unforgiven and Pale Rider. You can imagine it was a tad weird for me to see a western without Clint Eastwood then...LOL! I must say, though, Jeff Bridges was dynamite. Matt Damon was even pretty goody as a smarmy Texas Ranger. However, the show stealer was no doubt, Miss Hailee Steinfeld! This child was "out of this world" good. If they overlook her for an "Oscar" nod, shame on the industry!

So to sum it up, The weather has been bad and I was glad to get out of the house for this, but if you are snowed in somewhere, and can still walk to the theatre to see this movie...do it. It is well worth the time, energy, and $7 popcorn. I promise.

CBB

Astrological change, my butt!

For 37 years, I have been a Pisces. I have one daughter Pisces and another that is a Capricorn, and my husband is a Scorpio...and they all fit their sign, perfectly! Now, someone comes along and adds a 13th sign for 6 days in November and changes all of us except for one. I DON'T THINK SO!

First of all, I don't believe in a lot of this crap, but it does give me something to read in the paper and to share with another human being, if for nothing but a conversation starter. I could meet a million people that have never been to KY and have nothing in common with me, but I'm gonna say it's possible that 1 in every 12 could be a Pisces. You may not travel, or like wine, or knit, but you had to be born.

According to CNN this morning, it is really a bunch of nonsense.(http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/13/no-your-zodiac-sign-hasnt-changed/?hpt=C2) As they put it:

But before astrology fans scrape the ink from their arms because they think they're now a Virgo instead of a Libra, they should consider this: If they adhered to the tropical zodiac - which, if they're a Westerner, they probably did – absolutely nothing has changed for them.

So, today, I am still a Pisces. My family are still the same, too...and all is right with the astrological world. I wonder if today's horoscope for everyone was, "signs--they are a changing", because that, my friend, would have been funny!

Prom dresses already?

Yesterday, Kristi over at http://kentucky-girl.blogspot.com/ was in the mood to share her love for weddings. I totally agree with being in love with weddings, but while looking at those beautiful white dresses, a reality came upon me. My daughter needs a prom dress.

Now, not just any prom dress, but a white prom dress. At her high school all seniors must wear white. I love this idea, but it does make it hard to not wear the same dress as someone else. So one must shop early! Well, I never got the early memo on the dress bit. (Although, I do have her grad Open House scheduled, cake ordered, SR. pics finished, and decor planned out!...LOL)

However, she has fallen in love with the dress above, and I love it, too. Problem is...it is ivory, not white.

Wanna know what I have to do today? Call the school to see if ivory is allowed. No joke. Ivory is a shade of white, right? Wish me luck.

Just Dance for Wii! OMG!

We're getting another snow storm this week and I knew it would be unlikely that I would be able to get out to do Zumba, so what do I do to help with this conundrum?

I Just Dance (2)!

Last night, I ran to the grocery to grab some fruit. I had dinner at Subway, too...and I had been wanting it for a week, so thank you to my cousin V who drove because I am a chicken to drive when there is ice on the road--anywhere!
(That sentence seems way too long.)

Anyway, had to stop at Wal-ly World and for some reason I was drawn to the video games.There it was, not the one I wanted really. I mean, with my minor OCD, how could I buy part 2 before doing part 1. However, I opted to go for it and OMG was it a great purchase. The hubs wasn't/isn't quite on board with it, but I believe he will come around.

Got back to the house and V and I jammed! It was hilarious. Almost a better work-out than Zumba! I am sure you Kinect people will weigh-in on how much better it is on your system, but since I don't have that system...I don't care!...LOL. All I can say is, if your gaming system has a dance game...run, run as fast as you can to get it. It rocks!

CBB
P.S. I can not wait to do this with Catarina and Claudia!

Happy Birthday, Miss Olivia!

A year ago today, my baby brother and his wonderful wife gave our family one of it's most treasured joys--my niece Olivia! She shares this special day with another icon, Mr. Elvis Presley.

I am currently, sitting at my computer watching what was to be a light snow, come down in blizzard form. I am already looking at 4 inches and I don't see it stopping anytime soon. With that being said, it is unfortunate that I will not get to be a part of her 1st birthday. I do want her to know, though that my whole heart is with her as she celebrates her big day. I love you, Miss Olivia!

Please Help Milton Elem win a grant from Pepsi!

http://www.refresheverything.com/helpmilton

My youngest daughter's school is in the running

for one of the wonderful Pepsi grants!

$50,000
They are in the Top 10,

and if they stay there all month...

they win!

Please readers, I kindly ask you to vote for this outstanding school.

Mrs. B

Happy New Year 2011...Resolutions.

I am a horrible "resolver" ...for New Year's anyway.

I like to think when I want to get something accomplished,

I "resolve" to do it right then.

I read that the #1 resolution for our country was to lose weight/get healthy. I suppose I want to do that, but technically, I want to do that everyday.

Who doesn't want to be healthy?

So this year, I am resolving to do something different and daring...yet, something I have wanted to do my whole life.

I am going to learn to play the violin!

Now, at my ripe old age I don't foresee playing with the Philharmonic anywhere. However, I can see playing for myself and my own enjoyment...so I can not fail at this resolution! I am not setting myself up for a career in music, just some fun on my own time...if I can do this, maybe next year, I'll learn to play the fiddle...LOL.

Get it?

CBB