A Butter Yellow Beauty

I simply adore the yellow tiles and the ship in the shower? With that curved ceiling? Just beautiful.

(photos kidnapped from @tile_of_bathrooms IG account)

Equality

July 2019 Books

* Carrie by Stephen King - Sissy Spacek read this beautifully and I was in awe at how well Stephen King writes the voice of an awkward young woman. Just brilliant.
♥ One From the Hart by Stefanie Powers - I absolutely loved listening to Stefanie Powers read her autobiography and once it was done I ordered a real copy to add to my bookshelf.

* Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon - I've never been a fan of Sonic Youth and I only knew of Kim Gordon from her line of X-Girl clothing in the 90s (I dropped fifty bucks at Zipperhead on South Street in Philly back in the mid 90s for a navy striped crop top. I still have it!), but her life was super interesting with a revolving door of fascinating famous faces that came in and out of her life. Definitely worth reading if you are a fan of Sonic Youth, powerful females, or the underground music/art scene of the 80s and 90s.

* The Witches by Roald Dahl - Miranda Richardson was so good as the narrator! She gave me the chills a couple times with her spooky, witchy voice.

* A Mother's Story by Gloria Vanderbilt - I was following up The Rainbow Comes and Goes with another of Ms. Vanderbilt's books, A Mother's Story, about the death of her son, Carter. I was four pages from the end when I realised that whoever checked out that book before me had torn out the last few pages. I was livid. What kind of a MONSTER gets out an x-acto knife and cuts out the last pages of essentially a self-help book for mothers who have lost their child to a suicide?! It was disgusting. I spewed my rant to the librarian who was equally horrified. Luckily she was able to obtain a copy as an inter-library loan, but I was still mighty pissed off. Regardless, it was a great book, heart-breaking, but would definitely help someone in a similar situation to see that it's okay to keep on living and most importantly, to keep the memory of the child that is gone, alive and in the present as much as possible. Gloria Vanderbilt seems like she was one helluva a woman.

♥ I Got a "D" in Salami by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver

♥♥ Dropped Names by Frank Langella

* The World According to Mr. Rogers by Fred Rogers
* Above the Line: My Wild Oats Adventure by Shirley MacLaine
* The Gabriel Method by Jon Gabriel
* Rivals: Frenemies Who Changed the World ¹ by Scott McCormick
* Polka Dot Parade by Deborah Blumenthal - A children's book that tells a new generation about the marvelously brilliant Bill Cunningham? You're damn right I ordered up a copy and have absolutely been reading it to my nieces and nephews!
* George Brown, Class Clown: Super Burp by Nancy Krulik - Fun. Just plain ole fun to read. I saw this at one of those Little Free Library stands and it was really cute. I'll be passing it along to Jackson so we can giggle over the giant burp-heard-round-the-world at the ice cream place.

♥ The Green Mile by Stephen King

Winnie the Pooh (Dramatized): In Which Piglet Meets a Heffalump, In Which Eeyore has a Birthday, In Which Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest and Piglet has a Bath, In Which Christopher Robin Leads an Exposition to the North Pole ¹ by A.A. Milne 
* Goosebumps: Welcome to Dead House ¹ by R.L. Stine

* Tippi by Tippi Hendren - I really liked Tippi and was glad to hear her clear up some old rumours I'd heard over the years. I was really disgusted that Hitchcock was such a scumbag to her and a little disappointed that none of the people on the sets (ahem, I'm talking about her leading men) stepped up to Hitch or to complain that his actions were out of line. I love her passion for animals, even though I don't always agree with her methods, and tore through her audiobook in just a couple days.

* Feminism Is for Everybody by bell hooks - A good book for people interested in feminism, but a lot of it I already knew. ¹

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.

Robin S. Sharma

(photo kidnapped from quotefancy)

The Ones That Started It All

In the 80s, wearing a denim jacket covered in pins and buttons was thee thing to do. These two were staples for my jacket and I'm so glad I hung on to them! (The hearts held up surprising well, where as the once purple I'm With Stupid is wicked faded.)

DUI's Bathtime

I came upon an old-ish clip of Karen from 2010 with her beloved scarlet macaw, DUI (pronounced Dewie and named because her son was an avid SCUBA diver and DUI stands for Diving Unlimited International). It was time for a bath in the sink and it's just nice to see Karen. I really do miss her.

Their Best Qualities

Ashlee - loyal
Kayla - compassionate
Jaeden - warm
Dave - intellect
Wayne - kindness
Xavier - humour
Mary - joie de vivre
Stacey - thoughtfulness
Syd - creative
Zach - affectionate
Jax - energetic
Bishop - trustworthy
Amy - strong work ethic
Anne - fearlessness
Natalia - friendliness
Isabella - easy-going
Mum - dependable
Terri - supportive

Hello from Munich!

I knew that Barbara was home in Germany visiting family and taking a vacay a few weeks back, but wow-wee, what a lovely surprise to get a postcard from her travels!

Season Three

I was finally able to set aside my books and dive in for a binge session of Stranger Things season three. I loved everything but the end, since it led me to believe that they killed off another great character. (But I'm still holding out hope; especially after the comment by the guard at the gulag in the very last scene.) I'm still totes dev over Bob's death in season two and can't handle much more! Regardless of the mini cliffhanger, it was a great season and I absolutely adored everything Eleven wore. That black romper? Yup, it's in my Amazon cart. That chick's got rad 80s style, man.

(photo kidnapped from ew)

Vintage Bday Cards!

Look what Wayne, everyone's ray of sunshine, sent me in the mail! I absolutely love them both! Is he thoughtful or what?

Jaeden Turns 18!

Tonight right after work I dashed across the bridge to Fishtown to see the birthday boy. Jaeden met me at the front stoop and gave me a long, long hug. The kind that make you feel a warm glow in the pit of your stomach. The kind that tells you that this person genuinely missed you and that it isn't going to be a quick three second hug. There were I love you's said and then we went in to chillax with Mama Barbaraanne, Miss Kayla, her wonderful boyfriend, Dan, and one of the trio of cuties - Liam Andrew! (Michael and Donavin were asleep already.) All we did was sit around and chat, but it was just so nice to see Jaeden and talk like we used to when he lived in Philly. I miss our lunches together. I miss them a lot. But I know he's happy to be living with his father in Florida and I hope that he'll be coming home more often to see the rest of the family. Of course, no meeting is complete without a selfie or two.

And here's lil' Liam! (Look at dat belly!!)

Jaeden's new Leo tattoo (the first of many, we think!)

And Kayla sent me these from early today:

And the big brother with the wee ones - Liam, Michael, and Donavin ♥♥♥♥!

Jax at Baldwin's

Saturday I took Jackson and Mary to Baldwin's then to MOM's (OMG - the new tacos on their menu are sublime!!). First though, I gave Jax some new red All-Stars. Now he and I are twinsies. I was so happy when on our way home I asked him what the best part of the day was and he said it was getting his new shoes. Adorable!

Posing with "Chief High-Five"

Last July

Somehow I neglected to post this last Summer. Let's call this a "#laterpost", shall we? So here is my favourite Summertime bag, which I bought on ModCloth in June of 2018. I wanted something bright and cheerful for the season and didn't even realise that I was buying a rainbow purse during Pride Month. It's huge and perfect and I get loads of compliments from all genders on it. Note that this is not a 100% accurate post for two reasons, one, I feel like I usually have way more crap in my bag, and two, I didn't take photos of the inside of my Alexander Henry Ghastlies pouch (it's under John Wick 2). I use it to hold my iPhone, which I was using to take the photos, and the only other things in it are a notecard from Kayla and some blank index cards. Basically, you ain't missin' much.

(photos from July 7th, 2018)

Me 'n' Franky

(At the time this photo was taken I looked alarmingly similar to Molly Ringwald when she was in Tempest. I remember the first time I saw her in that film, I gasped and for a split second thought, "is that me?")

(photo kidnapped from thedrunkenodyssey)

How to Raise a Floss Boss

I love Cocofloss, that's no secret, and I especially love what they said in their latest email. It's a little list of ways to get your kids to floss! I have to share:



Real talk, parents: Getting kids to floss can be a CHALLENGE. Who among us hasn’t skipped it just to avoid the struggle? But it doesn’t have to be this way. Below are four tips that will transform your floss-resistant offspring into a floss boss for life.

1. Post a floss chart. Celebrate each day they floss with a fun stamp or sticker. We’re particularly fond of this 21-day tracker. 😊 (Psst — mom and dad, our 21-Day Floss Challenge maybe just what you need to solidify your own floss habit.)

2.  Host a floss party! Pick out a two- to three-minute song for you and your wee one to wiggle to while you shimmy your floss up and down. Two floss rock classics: Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks. 

3. Turn your tyke into a floss hero. Frame flossing as an epic battle against a mounting bacterial army that only they can defeat. Ceremoniously hand them their mighty floss and cheer them on as they slay bacteria and floss their way to victory. 

4. Let your tiny tastemaker pick their floss. May we recommend our Cocofloss 4-Piece Set? With this variety pack, your finicky flosser can look forward to selecting between Delicious Mint, Fresh Coconuts, Cara Cara Orange, and Pure Strawberries. Yum!

A Farewell

Today is my Uncle Joe's funeral. I didn't know him very well; my mother is one of seven and Joe was the oldest. He was a nice guy, easy to talk with, and had a great laugh. He'd let out a chuckle and his eyes would squint and he'd have a huge grin on his face and ya just had to join him. It was contagious.

Here's a pic of him with his wife of over 50 years, Connie, from back in '92.