Knights, Dragons and Magic Oh My!

Some of my favorite stories originate from history and legends of the British Isles: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, Guinevere, Merlin, Tristan & Iseult, Robin Hood, Richard III, dragons, sorcerers, The Lady of the Lake and so many others. One of my favorite books is my 1939 copy of The Boy's King Arthur, Sir Thomas Malory's History of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. This beautiful book is full of stories and illustrations of Arthur, Launcelot, Tristan, the Fair Maid of Astolat, the Holy Grail and many of Arthur's other Knights.

Growing up my son also enjoyed many of these stories, his favorites were tales of Robin Hood, the Sword in the Stone and anything with dragons in it. As more and more movies and TV series were made retelling these stories, special effects evolved so much that when you see a dragon on film it's hard to believe that the creatures never existed.

Some of our favorite film and TV adaptions of these mythical stories include:

• The early 1980's TV series Robin of Sherwood (a cult classic, my son and I have the series on DVD and have watched each episode many times. Still the best version in my opinion)
• The 1981 film Excalibur (another cult classic with a who's who of before they became famous actors including Helen Mirren, Patrick Stewart and Liam Neeson)
• The 1996 movie Dragonheart (my son watched this movie over and over when it was released. Dennis Quaid valiantly tries to save the last dragon from a young King who becomes evil. The dragon's voice is Sean Connery)
• The 2004 film King Arthur (Clive Owen as Arthur and Keira Knightly as Guinevere)
• The 2006 Ridley Scott produced film Tristan & Isolde (James Franco and Sophia Myles as the tragic lovers)

I've watched a few episodes of the TV series Robin Hood on Netflix that ran from 2006-2009 on the BBC. It's a fun and more modern interpretation of Robin Hood and not nearly as dark as the 80's TV show Robin of Sherwood. Another series that I've begun on Netflix is Merlin which ran from 2008-2012 on the BBC. This series is fantastic and while it completely mixes up the legends, the adventures of Arthur and Merlin while they are young men is irresistible. If you are a lover of legends and myths you can't go wrong with watching some of the better interpretations of the stories on TV and film. 

April Showers Bring...

It's raining in Chicago. How fitting for April. I'm guessing we will have many May flowers this year. After experiencing ideal weather during our trip to California, Paul and I returned to a gloomy, drenched City. I'm taking it in stride...so far no water in my basement. After the infamous Chicago area flood of July 2011 that flooded my basement and thousands of others I've struggled emotionally with every rain storm but after having my gutters cleared and the rain guards removed, my basement has been bone dry. Here's hoping it remains that way.

So what to do when it rains day and night. Well I was going to go to a Cubs night game this week but the thought of fighting traffic in Chicago after days of horrendous traffic in Los Angeles didn't appeal to me. Nor did a night in a wet ball field even for the Cubs. So instead I am warm and dry at home with my favorite things.

Since I missed this week's Monday 5 list. Here are the things I can't do without in Chicago's rainy season.

1. Rain Coat. I found mine at a thrift store for $5. It's bright blue with toggle closures down the front and a giant hood. It covers my butt and keeps me warm and dry. Sure I look like a 5 year old kid dressed up like a sailor but I wear my coat to walk my dog and save my Burberry rain coat for light rain.
2. Wellies. I bought my Hunter wellies years ago in the UK before you could buy them in American stores. Best boots ever made for rain and mud. Plus they are fun to splash through puddles in as they cover all the way to my knees. Worth every penny. 
3. Martinis. I love a vodka martini with a splash of vermouth and 3 olives. The olives serve as dinner many nights when its been a long day and a meal is a martini. Paul makes the best martinis and we often hand stuff our own olives with blue cheese.
4. A sense of humor. Seriously you really have to have a sense of humor to live in Chicago, definitely a passion for the greatest City in the USA but also a sense of humor for the weather, our politics and our sports teams. But it's worth it, even in the rain. 
5. The Classics. Maybe because these are the last days for months that I will be inside due to terrible weather but as it pours outside I retreat to watching my favorite Jane Austen stories on film (Pride and Prejudice 1995 TV and 2005 film versions and Sense and Sensibility 1995 film version). Plus I am loving a record that we found in an amazing record store in San Francisco's Little Italy, Pachelbel Kanon and Music of Handel, Vivaldi and Gluck. This beautiful album conducted by Christopher Hogwood features musicians on original instruments. 

Where ever you are, stay dry during Spring rains!

From Norma to Marilyn

This week is the 50th anniversary of the death of Marilyn Monroe. Websites and magazines have featured Marilyn in articles, released "never seen" photos, rehashed her mysterious death, condemned and praised the most famous woman of the 21st century.

Marilyn's style is classic and continues to be imitated today. For the ladies who are interested in how to create Marilyn's look, often seen on celebrities such as Dita Von Teese, below is a video tutorial by British makeup artist Lisa Eldridge.

If you are interested in books on Marilyn, here are a few I've enjoyed:

Marilyn in Fashion: The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe by Christopher Nickens
Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla by Andrew Hansford
Marilyn Monroe: The Final Years by Keith Badman

Flash Back Friday #53-An Affair to Remember

I've been working on launching my vintage store on Etsy and hope to have it open next week. Between uploading the images of the items I will be selling, researching prices and writing descriptions, I've been looking for vintage inspiration for the logo for my store. As I'm working on it I find inspiration in the style of classic films such as the 1957 movie An Affair to Remember.

A few of my favorite things about this wonderful movie:

• The simple scarves Deborah Kerr wears around her hair
• Belted dresses
• Dressing formally for dinner
• The beautiful gardens of the grandmother of Cary Grant's character 
• The romance of travel
•  Midcentury furniture
• Finding true love later in life
• Pink champagne

Here is a clip, enjoy and have a nice weekend readers!

A Favorite Book is Back in My Bag

I recently found a favorite book in a box full of my son's things in the back of his closet. I remember carrying this little paperback, dog-eared copy with me for years when my son was little. It was often found in the diaper bag, under the seat of my car, in the toy bin, in his little toddler bed, in my purse...

Written in 1955 by Crockett Johnson, Harold and the Purple Crayon is the story of Harold who creates his own world and adventures by drawing them with his purple crayon, always with the moon following him. There is a dragon who guards an apple tree, a "very hungry moose" and a "deserving porcupine" who eat pie, and Harold's adventures by sea, mountain and balloon. The drawings are simple, the story is charming and the creativity is wonderful.

I don't know why I'm carrying this little worn copy in my purse again. My son is too old to be read too but as I re-read the story I imagine my little boy as Harold all grown up now and creating his own adventures in the world and always with the same moon I can see following him.

The Great Gatsby Inspires a Summer Party

Recently Paul and I both re-read the classic, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. If you haven't read this beautifully written novel about the Jazz Age, you should read it as soon as you can get your hands on a copy. Especially after an article in last weeks Chicago Tribune called this "the Year of Gatsby" and before the latest film version is released later this year starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby.

As we were reading the book over the winter, a particular section in chapter 3 sparked the idea for a summer party, "There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."

So we started planning a party. Paul created an amazing invitation, we rented a roulette table, hired 3 college kids to work as dealers for roulette, poker, blackjack and video horse racing, bought some vintage clothes and before we knew it, we were hosting a 1920's inspired lawn party in the afternoon and a speakeasy in the evening. The party was a huge success and all but one of our 40 or so guests dressed in 20's attire, some guests even wore 2 outfits, an afternoon and evening costume. There were gangsters, flappers, bootleggers, gin, jazz, gambling, croquet and lots of laughs, it really was a party to remember. (The image above was taken after we changed from our garden party clothes into our formal wear for the speakeasy party. My vintage fringe flapper dress was found on eBay, my feather hat is also vintage and was bought at an antique mall.)

Now we have to figure out a way to top this party, we've already started planning...

If you've read Gatsby or you're going to read it for the first time, here are a few of my favorite passages from the novel:

"I've been drunk for about a week now, and I thought it might sober me up to sit in a library."

"The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside, until the air is alive with chatter and laughter, and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other's names."

"And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.  He did now know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us...So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back carelessly into the past."-The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925.

Living with Winnie-the-Pooh

The former home of Winnie-the-Pooh author A. A. Milne is for sale in England. A stunning 16th century home with modern updates and almost 10 acres of property and gardens including statues of the famous characters.

The home is where the author lived with his family, including son Christoper Robin and where he wrote his famous stories. The real stuffed animals of Christoper Robin that inspired the characters are on display at the New York Public Library.  If you are interested in wandering through the 500 acre woods, Pooh Corner or Poohsticks Bridge, they are all local locations to the home in Sussex England. To see the real estate listing as well as pictures of the home and grounds click here.

Ahhh if I had a few million dollars I would love to live with Pooh, Christopher Robin, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo.

(Image is from Walt Disney Productions)

Monday List #21-Favorite Holiday Movies

We had 2 bitterly cold days in Chicago this weekend, not surprising for this icy City but another reminder of how nice it is during the winter to be with loved ones at home. My family, like so many others enjoys snuggling on the sofa, making a big bowl of popcorn and watching movies at this time of year. Next week my son and I will fly to Florida to spend Christmas at my parent's home with my sister, her husband and my 3 year old niece and 1 year old nephew, my aunt and uncle and the family dogs. My mom will have the pool heated for swimming, my dad will buy bait for fishing off the dock and there will be lots of Christmas cookies, seafood, chocolate martinis and movie watching.

So for today's Monday List, here are my favorite Holiday Movies. Happy Watching Readers!

P.S. Check out this list of Top British Christmas Movies from one of my favorite websites, Anglotopia. Not surprising that many of my favorite films are British.

1. While You Were Sleeping. Starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. Not only one of my favorite Christmas movies, but a favorite film set in Chicago. Over drinks sometime, ask me about the night my friend Wynter and I met Sandra Bullock in a bar while she was filming this movie in Chicago. It's good story involving too much liquor and salsa dancing.
2. Bridget Jones's Diary. I love the book and love the movie even more. England at Christmas time and Hugh Grant. And neurotic lovable Bridget and her kooky friends. A fun film I watch over and over.
3. The Holiday. 3 reasons why I love this film. Kate Winslet. Jude Law. And Kate Winslet's PERFECT English country cottage which you can see here.
4. Love Actually. A charming Christmas movie. London, great characters, love.
5. Home Alone. Kevin gets left at home at Christmas and the adventures begin. Another wonderful Chicago movie.
6. Die Hard. A total guilty pleasure. Everyone needs a little Bruce Willis killing bad guys during a holiday party to keep it real.
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas. When my son was little, we watched this movie repeatedly. Tim Burton makes Christmas macabre. Love it.
8. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I laugh just thinking of watching this movie again. Everything about this movie is perfect, Clark Griswold, squirrel in the Christmas tree, Cousin Eddie...
9. A Christmas Story. My dad LOVES this movie. He even has the leg lamp. We have this playing on a loop like most of America all day on Christmas.
10. Meet Me in St. Louis. Judy Garland singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas gives me chills.

Films with Style and Romance

The famous song Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes is known as a hit of the 1980's but unfortunately not many people are familiar with the woman who inspired the lyrics. I am slightly...ok, completely infatuated with the actress Betty Davis. I watch her movies over and over and each time fall a little bit more in love with her, the glamour of the 30's and 40's and with the characters she played. (I posted back in 2008 about my love for Bette Davis movies which you can read here, Bette Davis Eyes).

There are few true movie stars in this day and age. Modern society is ruthless in it's obsession with fame and the personal, often sordid lives of those in film and TV. Is there anyone who can watch an Angelina Jolie movie and NOT think of her half a dozen children and her nomad life with Brad Pitt. She just can't become a character anymore, she is always her famous persona. Ditto with so many other film actors such as Tom Cruise (with the exception of his character in Tropic Thunder, hilarious!), Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston or Cameron Diaz. I want to escape when I go to the movies and sadly unless it's a Harry Potter film or another fantasy adventure, I rarely can think of anything but the film star's latest headlines for their personal life. There are a few exceptions such as Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ewan McGregor and Meryl Streep.

People who love movies say it often, "They just don't make films like they used too." I wholeheartedly agree. Sure there are exceptional films being made and lately I've seen a few including True Grit (although a remake of a classic), The Social Network, The King's Speech and the final Harry Potter film. And then there are the same films that get made over and over and over again. How many rom-com movies are there and isn't the new film Friends with Benefits (Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis) the same film as No Strings Attached (Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman). No way would I spend $10 for either movie.

So I buy DVD's on Amazon of beautiful, original, classic films when movies were always an escape to another time or place with stunning costumes, true romance, real ladies and their gentleman and manners we've all forgotten about. If you are interested in films that will make you sigh with wonder, cry over the romance and wonder over the loss of a gentler time here are a few of my favorite films from the 1930's and 40's.

• The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. 1947. Oh my. The romance. The location. The stunning Gene Tierney, a very young Natalie Wood and the gruff Rex Harrison. The perfect wrong place-wrong time romantic film. Oh and the ending...
• Dark Victory. 1939. Bette Davis is young and beautiful in this film. A rich socialite changes her life and falls in love after a terrible diagnosis. It doesn't get any better than this for a weepy romance. Trust me, no one has a dry eye at the end. This film also stars Humprey Bogart in a small role before he became a movie star.
• The Enchanted Cottage. 1945. Robert Young is terrific in this film about a soldier with terrible war wounds and the quiet woman who loves him. I don't think there is a film that better expresses the beauty of love than this one. Don't miss it.
• Waterloo Bridge. 1940. A little seen Vivien Leigh (Scarlet from Gone with the Wind) film. War, England, guilt. A classic.
• Mr. Skeffington. 1944. Gorgeous sets and costumes. And an unlikely romantic leading man in Claude Rains (famous for Casablanca). Bette Davis is ruthless and perfect in this role.
• To Have and Have Not. 1944. The film that started it all with Lauren Bacall and Humprey Bogart. One of the greatest movie lines in history is spoken by Bacall in this film, "You know how to whistle don't you Steve...you just put your lips together and blow." I don't know if there is a woman alive who has seen this film who hasn't tried to imitate Bacall's chin down, peekaboo look when flirting with a man. Classic. I met Lauren Bacall at a book signing years ago and she is still this character, sassy, sexy and gorgeous.

Do you watch old films? What are your favorites?

A Life Well Lived-Elizabeth Taylor

Last July I posted a book review of the biography of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century.
The post turned out to be one of the most visited on my blog. I have a great admiration for Elizabeth Taylor and was deeply saddened to wake up to the news of her death this morning. Her breathtaking beauty, her unforgettable talent, the great love affairs, her passionate dedication to raising funds, increasing understanding and educational awareness of AIDS, her love for family, her amazing jewelry collection. Sigh...what a life.
You can read more about my thoughts on Elizabeth and her amazing life by visiting the book review linked above. For today's post I am listing my favorite movies Elizabeth was in and a short list of recommended books about her life.

1. Jane Eyre. The 1944 version starring Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine was also one of the first films Elizabeth acted in, an uncredited role as the tragic Helen Burns. This movie haunted me as a child, Elizabeth Taylor was even as a child unforgettable, she breaks your heart.
2. National Velvet. The ultimate movie for every little girl that was ever horse crazy. This film made her a star at age 12.
3. Father of the Bride. The perfect father daughter relationship, the perfect wedding.
4. Giant. Taylor and James Dean. Enough said.
5. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Taylor and Paul Newman. Enough said. And boy can she act. Oh and the sexiest white slip ever worn on film.
6. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Sure she did the outrageous Anthony and Cleopatra with Richard Burton, but her role as Martha in this film is hard to watch, she's nasty and vulnerable, even more fascinating that she was really married to Burton when they played spouses in this film.
   
7. The "Is That Elizabeth Taylor?" Roles. General Hospital and North and South. I just watched because it was Taylor.

And a few books you might enjoy:

• Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and the Marriage of the Century
• Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry
• Elizabeth Taylor: A Life in Pictures
• Liz: The Pictorial Biography of Elizabeth Taylor
  

Here is what I am wondering? If you believe in Heaven, then Elizabeth Taylor has finally been reunited with many of the great loves of her life, a number of her 7 husbands and friends like Michael Jackson. For the woman who lived some of the greatest love stories of the last century, which husband is she with... her great love, the died tragically young Mike Todd or the man she married twice, the larger than life Richard Burton? After all there is only 1 Elizabeth Taylor, even in Heaven.

Do You Have A "Velveteen Rabbit"

A favorite book of mine and millions of readers is The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. This touching tale of a stuffed bunny who becomes real through the love of the boy who owns him is timeless and moving.

One of the reasons I love this book so much is because I remember being a little girl and hoping that when I turned off the lights at night or left my room in the morning my toys would came alive. Decades before the movie Toy Story imagined what happens when a human leaves their toys alone, The Velveteen Rabbit captured imaginations with "What if my toys were real?"

I reread The Velveteen Rabbit recently and was reminded of how important a cherished toy is to a child. Through happiness, sorrow and illness there are some comforts that are irreplaceable, for many children it's a stuffed animal. I have a worn and well loved stuffed animal that is my only childhood toy to survive through the dozens of moves I've done since college. My little stuffed dog is about 30 years old, is missing an eye, has had his ears sewn on again and again and is so soft and scraggly only I could love him like I do. A decade ago he was used as a prop in a play because just looking at him you can tell there are years of stories behind him.

I'm 40 years old now and that silly little stuffed dog has stayed by my side in my bedside nightstand through all the years I was married. He is once again out of the drawer and sleeping in my bed, usually under my real dog's head. 30 years later, I am still comforted by a toy. Maybe my stuffed dog is my reminder of innocence. Maybe it's the significance of its history in my life. Maybe it's just because he's soft. Regardless that little dog will be with me until the end of my days. Funny....but I don't think it's much of a coincidence that when I finally adopted a real dog (my beagle Eloise) she has the same saggy body and floppy ears of my cherished toy.

So this Christmas as you buy a special toy for a child in your life why not a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit or a soft stuffed animal. They will understand one day the magic of the story.

Fun book by Project Runway's Nina Garcia

First a little tangent on my TV watching and how that relates to this book review.

I can count on 1 hand how many TV shows I watch on a regular basis.
1. Tori and Dean: this train wreck reality show is addicting and mindless, love it!
2. Grey's Anatomy: after years away I returned this season to a guilty pleasure (it's all about McSteamy).
3. True Blood: completely obsessed with this series and cannot wait for season three to start in June.
4. House Hunters International: real estate and travel, perfection!
5. Project Runway: catty, funny and fascinating.

In order to get my fashion fix after this season of Project Runway ended I picked up judge Nina Garcia's book, The One Hundred: A Guide to The Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own. The book is illustrated with whimsical and beautifully drawn artwork that only adds to the fun of the text. Organized alphabetically Nina's suggestions of the 100 pieces every woman should own begins with A-Line Dress and ends with Zippered Hoodie. She gives suggestions on brands to invest in and alternatives to pricey classics.

Of Nina's suggested 100 items, I own all but the following pieces:

4. Aviators (I'm not into the Top Gun look)
8. Bikini (no, no, no)
15. Caftan (only Mrs. Roper and the girls of Sex and the City can pull this look off)
27. Diamond Studs (a WANT of mine for a long time)
33. Frye Harness Boots (why, I'm not a biker nor am I a model in NY City)
46. Leather Pants (are you kidding me? I do have black suede rocker pants, does that count?)
56. Missoni Knit (pricey)
69. Pucci (someday soon)
92. Vans (not since high school)
95. Wayfarers (I'm not into the Risky Business look)

Of the pieces Nina suggested that I do already own, here are my favorites:

5. Ballet Flat (BEST shoes to travel with)
9. Blackberry (my latest addiction)
11. Blazer (I own at least 6)
12. Boyfriend Cardigan (the perfect item in my closet)
21. Cocktail Ring ( I have many, always the quality jewelry I purchase for myself)
40. Investment Bag (my weakness is for Louis Vuitton and Chanel, they will last forever and never go out of style)
50. L.L Bean Tote (I have at least 3)
67. Plain white tee (I have about a dozen and wear them with everything from jeans to fancy skirts)
71. Quality Champagne (always in my wine fridge)
86. Trench (my Burberry was a splurge during my last trip to London but a classic)
91. Valid Passport (of course)
93. Vintage (always)
96. Wellington Boot (my Hunters from England are incredibly comfortable and make me feel like the Queen walking the fields of Balmoral)

If you are a fan of fashion or maybe just Project Runway, this is a fun book to pick up and would make a great gift for any woman interested in classic clothes and accessories.

Flash Back Friday #34

I just finished a great book, Elizabeth Taylor: A Life in Pictures. Beautiful photographs documenting Elizabeth's life including many candid shots of her with her children, her many husbands and co-stars. She is truly a breathtaking beauty. Elizabeth Taylor is a passionate advocate and AIDS fundraiser and the only true movie star I would like to meet.

Here is A Turner Classic Movies short tribute about Elizabeth narrated by Paul Newman, her co-star in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

"Dahling just throw on your Burberry and we'll go for a pint."

During my travels I usually buy something special on each trip. I enjoy not only the shopping experience but the benefit of VAT refunds at the airport. I've bought beautiful leather goods, Louis Vuitton, pearls and other items that have cost me less by purchasing them in Europe (even with the exchange rate). While I was studying at Oxford last year I bought a classic item that to me defines English fashion. During a weekend in London I purchased a Burberry trench coat and joined the devotees of this timeless piece.

For London Fashion Week this year I was only interested in a few collections like Pam Hogg and Pringle but especially the classics of Burberry. While reading a fashion blog about the collections I found a link to a great website for lovers of Burberry trench coats. Burberry-Art of the Trench is a fun site with all the information you would ever need to know about the trench. You can submit a picture of yourself in your Burberry trench coat to be featured on the site and I submitted the picture above of myself wearing mine in London.

Sure it's just fashion and clothes are a basic and simple need. But really, there is something to be said about wearing something special when it fits you perfectly and makes you feel good enough to meet the Queen.

Count Down to Christmas

So I thought I would blog about my personal joys of the holiday season. I am notoriously not a Christmas person, I don't enjoy decorating my home, baking or dressing up in reindeer sweatshirts or ornament earrings, but I'm trying to open my spirit to the beauty of the traditions this year. Christmas to me is a visual holiday and I love to watch the world around me decorate and celebrate. Here are my thoughts on what I find joyful about Christmas:

1. The twinkly lights. Love them, well I love the white fairy twinkly lights. The colored ones make my vision blur.


2. The food. I love diving into a seafood feast on Christmas Eve and gorging on fresh shrimp, lobster, crab and other sea delights.


3. Friends. I love reconnecting at parties, sharing a cocktail at festive restaurants in Chicago and just being happy.


4. Spending time with my family. There is something about getting on a plane and flying to my Mom's house where I know she will have the house decorated to the nines with her multiple Christmas trees, pretty towels, holiday dishes and napkins, candles and plates of cookies and candy. Where I lack in the Christmas spirit, my Mom has it in abundance, thank goodness. It's also pretty cool that she has a plastic Santa floating in her pool. I love floating on a raft while drinking a cold beer with water Santa on Christmas Eve.


5. Shopping. Regular readers know I am a shopper and I LOVE to shop for other people. I am a major gift giver and love hunting for special gifts.


6. The quiet. The mornings when you wake up in the Midwest to new snow, before the plows have arrived, before the sidewalks are shoveled, before the dog makes footprints in the backyard. That quiet that only happens after a heavy snow when you can listen to the trees creaking and hear the snow fall off the branches and hit the ground. It's magic.


7. Living in a big city during the holidays. I love the sight of Michigan Avenue, State Street and the ChristkindlMarket in downtown Chicago. The lights, the color, the shop windows, the salt on the streets...It's like a movie come to life.


8. Being a Mom at Christmas. I love the late night wrapping, the stuffing of the stockings and the anticipation of Christmas morning. We still put out carrots and cookies for Santa but now the dog drinks the glass of milk.


9. Forgiveness. I think at this time of year we are more receptive to forgiving past transgressions. At least for a little while.


10. Giving. We give more of our time, our love and our money. I don't count my pennies as much. I stay a little later at work, take on a few more responsibilities. I say thank you with a smile and a hug and just try and remember it's a season about everyone else.
    

Happy Holidays to all of you. May you each find your joys in the season.

Flash Back Friday #32

My favorite Christmas Carole, the Little Drummer Boy with Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
Enjoy!

Flash back Friday #31

Since so many are still enjoying turkey leftovers, here is the classic 1945 cartoon, Jerky Turkey. Enjoy and have a nice weekend.

Flash Book Friday #26

Geez, I haven't posted a Friday Flashback since before I went to Oxford so here you go. A true classic in honor of a true legend.
This week the hysterical, boozy, funny, unique and truly English television chef Keith Floyd died. In typical Keith fashion he died quickly and unexpectedly after an excellent meal and lots of wine shared with friends.
Here is a classic clip, enjoy and next time you raise a glass of good wine think of the truly original and eccentric chef Keith Floyd. I'm having a Guinness and oysters in his honor!

The Times They Are a-Changin

You are probably familiar with the Bob Dylan song, The Times They Are a-Changin, well it's been running through my head ever since I heard that Ted Kennedy had died. As I watched the news coverage on almost every channel I turned too, I realized, the Kennedy's are gone. Well and truly gone. For the first time in my life, I won't be expecting to read about them in the newspapers, watch them speak from the floors of the Capital, track them in the tabloids or mimick their style. I'm sad about it. I can remember the Kennedy's as larger than life for as far back as I can recall, news and television coverage of Jackie moving her kids to New York City, Carolyn and JFK going to college, drug scandals, family vacations on Martha's Vineyard, the Presidential campaign of Ted or his winning yet another term in the Senate, JFK Jr.'s love life, magazine career and multiple attempts at passing the NY state bar, the politics of the Kennedy brothers, the legacy of their public and personal lives and the myth of the Kennedy curse. This mythical family has been in the forefront of American culture for so long they've influenced my life in ways I probably don't even realize yet. Back in college I volunteered with Special Olympics after reading about the life of Eunice Kennedy. In my 20's I believed that JFK Jr was the future of the family until he foolishly killed himself and his wife and sister in law in the airplane crash that claimed yet another Kennedy too young. As the children and grandchildren of Joe and Rose Kennedy die so does an era of American history defined by a family that was involved in politics, scandal, style, privilege and public service. I don't know why but Dylan's song sums up the Kennedy's to me.

If you haven't heard Dylan's song lately or don't know the words, here they are:

The Times They Are a-Changin'

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

Inauguration Day is finally here

I hope you are doing the same thing that I am doing this morning and watching the historic Inauguration of Barack Obama. I woke up giddy to watch the events unfold and am doubly pleased to have the morning off work to watch it live. Flipping back and forth between MSNBC, ABC and CNN, Charlie Gibson is throwing out some interesting Presidential trivia, Aretha Franklin has arrived to sing with a gigantic bow on her head, she's wrapped up like a gift and Anderson Cooper is just rambling on about the VIPs.
Well I'm getting back to watching, enjoy the day and relish the moment in history you've watched.