Happy Spring Y'all

Spring time is finally here in south Texas. It's in the 80s and slightly humid today. However, my flowers are in full bloom. I'll be working out in the flower beds this weekend and I'll be sure to take pictures and post them after everything is completed. I know I only have a short amount of time left living at this residence but once my azaleas started blooming I couldn't resist running to the nearest nursery and planting some flowers. It just makes me smile every time I sit on my porch or drive up to the house. It helps me enjoy spring that much more.

Also, we have tonds of birds. I have two little chickadees (mama and papa) who have taken residence on top of my wreath. Normally I wouldn't mind but my wreath is located on the front door. Every time my husband or I walk out of the front door onto the porch they fly into the nearest tree outraged and begin to lecture us. Routinely we enter and exit through the garage; however, I just placed a nice big fern and flower pot that I have to water daily. I ended up buying a small wooden birdhouse and painted it a couple of days ago to set out on the porch as well. I'm just crossing my fingers that they will move in. Hopefully before I have to evict them from the wreath (front door). Let's hope they love their new pad and we'll see some babies nesting soon.

Watching all these adorable birds from my office window the past couple of days has gotten me all stirred up for bird accessories. Now I've been notorious of changing my decor around the house. Especially during the seasons. Lately I'm on a bird kick. I love anything with birds. I've decided to incorporate birds through out our home. I asked my husband what he thought of the idea and the only concerned he had was how much my grand new idea was going to cost him. He just doesn't understand the importance of nesting.

HAPPY SPRING Y'ALL!!!

My Favorite Commercial

Barbie's Dream House

Today is Barbie's Birthday. She's 51 and looks fabulous :-) How do I know this? I have a Barbie calendar. I'm a Barbie nut. I love Barbie but not just any Barbie....oh no...I just like the retro Barbie's from 1959-1969. And I have started collecting the Silk Stone Barbies. I hope to get a new cabinet after we relocate to put them on display. I'm one out of millions of Barbie fans and collectors across the globe.

But who is Barbie and where did she come from?It all started when American business woman, Ruth Handler, came up with the idea of an adult looking doll after watching her daughter play with paper dolls. After pitching her idea to her husband, Elliot, who was the co-founder of Mattel, she was turned down when he wasn't enthusiastic over it.. Wives, this would be a good story to share with your husband when suggesting an idea, yes? Ha!

It wasn't until 1956 when Mrs. Handler was visiting Germany that she spotted an adult-figured doll called Bild Lilli. She brought back three dolls to the U.S. and gave one to her daughter while the other two were given to Mattel. The Lilli doll was first sold in Germany in 1955, although intended for adults, she became extremely popular among the children. Bild Lilli was actually based on a comic character created by Reinhard Beauthin.

Barbie was born on March 9, 1959 in New York City. Yes, she's a New Yorker and also my favorite Yankee. She was given the name Barbie after Handler's daughter. And Ken was named after her son. And speaking of Ken, he'll be celebrating his 50th Birthday in just two days on Friday. Ken's official Birthday is March 11, 1961. Ken made his debut as the fictional boyfriend of Barbie in a kitchy black and white commercial.

Since it's Wednesday and y'all know how I try to do a post on Historical Home Wednesdays; I decided this would be a great opportunity to post on Barbie's Dream Houses. Not really historical but fun.

Barbie's first house was built in 1960. It was really nothing more than just a small box that could be folded up and easily transported. It instantly became a big hit. However, what woman doesn't love cars, clothing, and real estate? Ha!

This is the Barbie's Dream House that I grew up with. I had one in my bedroom when I was girl. I remember the plastic doors would easily pop off but were not so easy to put back on. My older sister had the 1975 Barbie townhouse but I couldn't locate a picture for this post.

Ok, now here's where things get interesting. You didn't think I would just leave my post on a little plastic house did ya? There's a REAL Barbie's Dream House. It's located in Malibu, California and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Back in 2010, Barbie turned 50 and for her big Birthday bash she needed a fabulous house to host all her friends. Interior designer, Jonathan Adler, was contracted to decorate the 3,500 square-foot beach house.

“I think this really is Barbie’s Malibu Dream House because the setting is so incredibly dreamy and ethereal,” Adler said. “We’re perched on a cliff in Malibu overlooking the ocean. It’s a fantasyland for anyone. It was difficult to find the house to celebrate Barbie’s 50th birthday because it had to be the ultimate Malibu house, and I think we found it.”


This is probably my favorite design of the entire house. Adler used 50 vintage style Barbie's as an accent piece. I absolutely love it. Wouldn't this be fun for a kids room? Perhaps not vintage Barbie but I'm sure you can find a cheaper version at a discount store.

I really love those chairs. They are extremely loud but a lot of fun. I don't think I would decorate my own home to look like this but it's entertaining to scroll through the pictures.






Barbie's closet was filled with over 50 pairs of hot pink peep-toe heels. I would kill to have this type of shoe space in my closet.

Adler decked out Barbie’s bedroom with wall-to-wall pink carpeting and used monogram B's for her bedding.

After the big party in Malibu, Barbie moved over to Las Vegas. You can actually stay in the Barbie suite at the Palms. However, it's very pricey ($3,000 per night). Can you imagine staying in this room? How fun!!!

Sorry I've been MIA

While on a trip over to Jackson house shopping my husband decided to use the hotel gym. He began running on the treadmill and something snapped in his foot. The following day he could hardly walk. We ended up cutting our trip short as I drove us back to Houston so he could see a doctor. They ran x-rays and found absolutely nothing. They agreed that he must have sprained it.

Over the course of about 3 weeks he has been limping around. I've asked him to take a few days off from work but getting my husband to stand still for 24 hours is asking a lot let alone multiple days. However, this past Monday I received a call from my husband from work. He said he was in so much pain he didn't think he could drive. I rushed him over to a doctor who referred us to a Orthopedic Surgeon. We were worried that he had cracked or broken a bone his foot. After two x-rays and an MRI later we found out that he had a torn legament. My husband once broke his collar bone while mountain biking (before we got married) and he said it hurt worse than that. I can only imagine how painful it must have been for him.

The doctor requested that he take off the entire week from work and keep his foot elevated. I've been after my husband to take time off and just relax for months. He's self employed so asking him to take a week off is like asking for one of his kidneys. We've cancelled 3 vacations the past twelve months.

This past week I played nurse and turned off his phone and took away his laptop. He wasn't very happy with me at first but after a few hours he fell into a deep sleep. I noticed a big change by the end of the week. He really looked rested and his foot began healing quite quickly. I think we Americans tend to push ourselves to the point of our bodies screaming for down time. When we don't give ourselves rest I believe that we become so run down we get sick or injured. It's ridiculous that I've allowed my husband to get to this point. I'm angry at myself that I didn't put my foot (ha, ha) down sooner. My husand has agreed to take a vacation in two weeks. Now I have to decide where we are going to go.


To reward me for being such a good nurse he bought me this! Rebel T2i EOS 550 that I've been begging for. I'm so excited but I'm still trying to learn how to use it. It's much more advanced than my last camera. I absolutely love it!!!

On Friday we were both suffering from cabin fever being trapped indoors all week. We decided to attend the Houston Rodeo. If y'all are ever in Houston during the rodeo you must attend. It's so much fun. The Houston Rodeo is the largest rodeo in the world. It brings in over two million visitors each year. I took several pictures that I'm eager to share with y'all. I first have to download the cd to my computer before transferring my pictures. I'm going to ask my husband to help me figure out how to transfer those pictures so I can post them this evening.

Sunday we had tickets for the ballet. Marie Antionette was one of the best productions I've seen yet. It was a fabulous ballet and I can't say enough good things about it. The costumes were stunning as well as the set. And the orchestra did a fine job too. All and all this was one of my favorite ballets I've seen. The Houston ballet did a fantastic job. Hats off to Director Stanton Welch. He did an amazing job putting this production together.

Marie Antoinette

This morning I rolled out of bed and flipped on the local morning news. In Houston, your life revolves around traffic and weather conditions. As I began preparing breakfast for my lovely husband I couldn't help but notice that the Houston Ballet is performing "Marie" (Marie Antoinette). I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Immediately after my husband left for work I logged onto my computer and purchased tickets.

Did you know that the Houston Ballet is the fourth largest ballet in the United States? If you are ever in Houston during the season you must catch a ballet at the Wortham Theater. I highly recommend that you add it to your list of sights to see. I've yet been disappointed with a performance.

Marie Antoinette assumed the title of Queen of France after marrying her husband, King Louis XVI of France. At first, France loved her charm and beauty but over the years they began to despise and hate her. One of France's enemies at the time was Austria and since Marie Antoinette was, after all, an Austrian, it didn't help her position.

I think that Marie Antoinette was one of the most scandalous women in history. She had numerous allegations (gossip) that surrounded her title and name for centuries. Her infamous, "Let them eat cake," remark is not only one of the most well known quotes of all times but it was also the match that fueled the fire during the French Revolution. The fate of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, as well as for the royal family, was not a good outcome. They were convicted of treason and executed by guillotine in 1793.

I wrote a post a couple of months ago on Lucerne, Switzerland where it mentions Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. You can click on the link below and it will direct you to the post.
http://midnightmacaroons.blogspot.com/2010/09/lucerne-switzerland.html

Kirsten Dunst played Marie Antoinette in the movie, Marie Antoinette, which was released in 2006. I love the beautiful attire. The dresses are gorgeous but can you imagine wearing this heavy thing around town? However, it would be fun for a day.

Wishing everyone a wonderful start to a fabulous week ahead.

Work Out Must Haves

Today was a glorious 77 degrees in Houston, Texas. Believe me, I'm not trying to rub it in, for all those who are stuck up north in the freezing temps. No, I'm just saying we had a nice day (and those are far and few around these parts). This is the only place I've ever lived where I had to question if the humidity index could pass 100%. My favorite is when you try to cool off in the pool and you don't feel any different from when you were standing beside it. It's so bad that I have literally seen my shins sweat. My shins, y'all!!! Now that's just down right miserable if you ask me. So when the weather is 77 degrees I'm taking full advantage.

Today I ran some errands and stopped by the gym. I suppose it's a good time to shed those extra pounds that I managed to gain during hibernation (Christmas). This mama bear has to get fit if she dares to slip into a pair of shorts this summer. I've noticed that dropping those extra pounds hasn't been as easy as it use to be. I use to eat whatever I wanted, Snicker bars, ice cream, Gummy Bears, etc... and not gain a thing. Now if I so as much look at sweets I blow up like blow fish. Awww...I sure miss my youthful metabolism. However, it's no use to cry over it now. I just have to adapt to a healthy lifestyle.

Here are my 6 Work Out Must-Haves .....
Burt's Beeswax Lip Balm. I try to keep my lips from becoming chapped. I like how Burt's Lip Balm conditions my lips.
My Mercedes hat. I don't leave the house without it if I'm going to work out. I like to hide my crazy work out hair under it. Does anyone else have a favorite work out hat? My Apple Nano. It doesn't hold as much memory as the original but it's functional and fun. I like the mini size and it has some really cool features like the pedometer and clock. It's pretty practical if you are just taking it to the gym.

ASICS GEL-Kayano 17 Road-Running Shoe. This is a great shoe if you are a runner. I really like how they fit snug and the gel makes it feel like I'm walking/running on pillows. L-O-V-E them!!!

Nike dry fit pants. I have several pairs of these. They are by far my favorite work out pants.

I like to work out to Classic Rock. And no, the 80's are NOT considered Classic Rock. That's Hair Metal Rock. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Rollings Stones. Funny story.... I sort of met Mick 13 years ago in Hawaii. He was sitting next to me at the pool and said hello. I remember thinking to myself, Ewww...this old European guy is gross. It wasn't until I turned in my towel that the pool attendant told me who he was. It also burst my bubble because I thought the two good looking guys across from me were checking me out in my new bikini. Come to find out that they weren't looking at me at all but at Mick Jagger sitting next to me.

What are some of your favorite work out items?