Three for Me

It's been awhile since I've posted a Three for Me piece, so here it goes.....

1. Sydney's Birthday - This was, of course the top of the list for my three favorite things this week. My little girl is now nine! It's her "last year in the single digits" as she put it. We spent her birthday at my parent's house in central Jersey and had a very delicious and fattening cake. Unfortunately, as a summer baby, she doesn't get that many parties, but I think this year we will try and do something special once school starts and all her friends are home. Happy Birthday Sweetie! We love you.

Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday to you....

2. My sister Jen - Now, my sis and I are about five years apart and we are very close. For awhile, she lived in the same town as me, but due to my brother-in-laws job, they relocated to Pennsylvania. I really miss having her near by...... Jen has always been there for me, no matter what. We laugh, goof off and try to hang out as much as possible. She and I may disagree, argue and get mad at each other (what siblings don't?), but I know that no matter what I do or say......she loves me and will always be there to support me and I feel the same towards her. By the way, Jen recently celebrated another birthday so....here's another shout-out to her: Happy Birthday Jen!!!!!

Took this at a Musikfest concert in between sets...we had a blast!

3. Aw-Shucks Roasted Corn - yes, I'm serious. This corn is on my favorite things this week. Why? Why?!!! The only thing I can say is join me at Musikfest next year and I will show you why. Hands down.....this is the best corn ever!!! I'm still dreaming about this.....yummmmmm

I took this right before I devoured it - Can I have one more please?

What are your three favorite things this week?

Three for Me

Yes, I'm still here.....I haven't totally fallen off the planet...I've just been in Orlando with the family on a much needed vacation. Although I haven't been able to post "posts", I have been able to keep up with the A to Z challenge and the NaPoWriMo Challenge, although it's been a bit difficult......try composing poems in the midst of roller coaster screams, slurping of Butter Beer and being totally and completely drenched on the River Adventure ride....hmpff...they said "you may get wet or possibly soaked"....possibly?!

Anyhow, we are nearing the end of our trip and I have a few things I wanted to get out before I end this week.

So, the Three for Me this week are:

1. High School "acceptance" letter? - My oldest daughter has worked very hard over the years and as she entered 8th grade, she applied to the County magnet school. This school is considered to be a top notch high school and many kids apply....in fact, out of the 1550 applicants, only 280 will be granted entry. Of course, as luck would have it, and after a grueling application process, they decided to mail the "acceptance" letters out this week. Hello.....we are on Spring break. UGH! Luckily, my wonderful friend checked the mail for me on a daily basis and when it finally arrived, she expressed mailed it to us in Florida.

What did it say? Well, my daughter didn't want to open it until we were all together as a family, which meant we had the letter in hand for over half an hour before opening it. We trekked back into Universal Studio, located the rest of the clan and......

And she cried tears of joy....

YES! She got in. We are so happy for her and so very proud. Job well done geeky nerd....way to go!

2. Lost & Found - Ok, so you might be thinking what could possibly top an acceptance letter to an amazing high school, well.....if you read my poem from the other day, you will know that I experienced what all parents fear....losing their child in the crowd. So, the second thing I'm loving this week is finding Squid and having all three of my children. I came with three....thank God I'm leaving with three....I love you guys and next time, we are all wearing matching neon tops!

3. Harry Potter Land - I'm loving the fact that we are on vacation someplace warm and to top it off, we got to visit Harry Potter Land (twice). I love Harry Potter.....we got dizzy on the rides, purchased our wands from Ollivander's Wand Shop, bought a whole bunch of stuff in Hogsmeade and we had our fill of delicious Butter Beer. Here's to you Harry.

What Hogwarts house are you?

What are you loving this week?

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A Dose of Jules
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Three for Me

Before I begin my three for me this week, I want to say thank you to all of my readers. I truly appreciate your comments both publicly and privately and for your support in all that I do on my blog.

You may have noticed that I have recently been posting poems and photos as separate posts....this is because through my searches in the blogging world, I have come across a few challenges that I have decided to take part in - Project 52 (photo challenge), NaPoWriMo & A to Z (both writing challenges).

I invite you to read my poems and visit other poets through the NaPoWriMo links I have included in my posts. But fair warning.....in case you haven't figured it out yet, my poems tend to be on the heavier side....somewhat sad....somewhat dark.... why? because that's just part of who I am.

With that said. The Three for Me this week are:

1. My son the artist - has been chosen to be the Artist of the Month at his middle school! YEAH! I'm so happy for him. Even though it's not like a BIG thing....it's still so nice to be recognized for something that you have a passion for....and he certainly has a passion for art. In fact, he came into this world with pencil in hand and with an artist's temperament to match.

This kiddo will doodle and draw like there is no tomorrow....I usually have no problem with this unless its on a math test! (Yes....he doodled during a test and then told us he couldn't finish the last problems because he ran out of time....uh---- HELLO!!!) Anyhow, congrats honey on a job well done! We love you lots and can't wait to see what else you have in your imagination.

2. My Hubby's Birthday!!!! Yes, today is the day.....forty-four years ago....that my hubby was born. I want to wish him a wonderful birthday. It's sad that he has to work today, but at least he will be home tonight so that we can all celebrate together. Hopefully, he won't be too tired and we can catch a family movie and eat fondue.....yes....FON-DUE!!!! It's kind of turned into our family's tradition to have both cheese and chocolate fondue for our birthday dinners....YUMMY!!!!

3. Featured Photo!!! Yep! I a featured artist! Me?! As I stated above, I have joined a photography challenge hosted by Bella on Project 52. Every week, Bella posts a theme word and we have to submit a photo that represents that word....it's a lot of fun and a great way to meet people with the same interests. I'm still a novice when it comes to photography, so when I received an email from Bella asking to use my interpretation of "Layers" for her gallery, I was very flattered and honored. Thank you, thank you, thank you Bella for this recognition.....I love it....totally doing my happy dance right now!!! Yippeee!!!

If you get a chance, stop by and see my photo in the Artist Spotlight!



Well....that's it for my three this week. What are you loving this week? Please share because I would love to learn more about you.

Three for Me

This has been a busy week for me and I am just filled with excitement and energy! Energy?!

Crazy for someone who sleeps too late and is up too early (at least according to me). Anyhow, enough with my ramblings....

Here are the Three for Me this week:

1. My darling daughter (a.k.a. Squid) - This one is loving the stage. She recently play Bonnie Bones from a pirate play and she had the whole theatre laughing. In one scene she is scolding the children and my friend turns to me and says, "Wow, she's good. Sounds just like you." Yes, I admit it. I do sound like a crazy pirate when I'm yelling at the kids...how else am I getting them to listen! 

As you can see in one of the shots, Bonnie Bones bites the bucket and like any good actor, my daughter falls down and then with a dramatic flair twitches her arm and leg to signify the finality of dear old cursed Bonnie Bones! Great job to my darling Squid and her fellow cast mates and teachers! Arghhhhhh!!!!!

2. New Camera Tip - I was surfing the net and I found a whole bunch of wonderful photographers who share their tips of the trade to novice photographers such as myself. I love playing around with my camera....my kids often joke and say"is there anything you won't take a picture of?" Anyhow, I learned a trick from Kristi at Live and Love Out Loud on how to take a macro image without purchasing another lens.....the only major drawback for me is that I'm one of those types that gets motion sick from the tiniest of movements.....so after this little camera trick, I was nauseous for about an hour...need to get myself an tri-pod.

Not the best, but I'm still learning

3. Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs!!!!!! I need someone to take these away! I've devoured a whole bag.....I purposely hid them amongst the Hersey's chocolate eggs, but that didn't stop me. I would just dig and dig till I found one. So yummy. What's your favorite?

heaven........

Have a wonderful weekend! My kids are off tomorrow and I've got family coming.....so I've got to get off my bum and get ready.

You know, I'm going to go right over to that jar and grab me some Reese's PB eggs.....ciao!

Three for Me

It snowed again last night, kids had a 90 minute delay and I want Spring to come! Here are three things that I love....and snow isn't one of them!

1. My Mom. I love my mom. She's been the pillar in my life for which I have leaned upon time and time again. She gives without hesitation, expecting nothing in return and loves me unconditionally....even when I have disappointed her and broken her heart. Being the oldest of eight, my mom has taken care of her family since she was very young. She started working full time at the age of sixteen, got her degree in accounting, landed her first job in America with only a smile (she didn't say a word at the interview because she couldn't really speak English), raised two daughters and is now a grandma to five very lucky grandkids. Today is her birthday and I just wanted to say.....thanks mom for always being there for me and for loving me, even when I didn't deserve it. I love you with all my heart. Happy Birthday!

2. Kilts & Bagpipes. Yes, you read that right.....for some very odd reason, and for as long as I can remember, I've always fancied men in kilts who can play a mean bagpipe. One of my favorite bagpipe memories occurred years ago when our good friend played the bagpipe at his wedding in Edinburgh. He wore his family tartan, proudly representing his clan and played a beautiful melody for his new wife. So romantic......hmmmmm.... do you think my husband would be willing to put on a kilt and take bagpipe lessons...yea, I didn't think so. Well, lucky for me St Patrick's day has given me a little fix to hold me over until the next parade....so, whether you're a Irishman or a Scotsman.... here's to all the men in kilts who play the pipes. Cheers! Here's a picture of our friends as they were leaving the church....it was such magical day... (I had a picture of the groom playing the bagpipes, but I didn't want to post it without his permission, so I decided to go with my favorite picture from that day)

G + C = beautiful couple

3. Brigadoon. I can't talk about MIK (Men in Kilts) and bagpipes without thinking of this movie. Brigadoon is one of my favorite movies from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Its a love story between a man who happens upon a Scottish village, that only appears for only one day every one hundred years, and a woman named Fiona, who is bound by the curse of her village. It's a musical starring none other than the great Gene Kelly and beautiful Cyd Charisse....it's old Hollywood and I love it. If you are a lover of old Hollywood musicals and you enjoy wonderfully choreographed dance routines, this is a must.

Three for Me

This has truly been a crazy weekend for me. So, to start of my week and to help me find balance again, these are the Three for Me this week:

1. My hubby. He is truly the nicest, most considerate, unselfish person I know. He has been my most fiercest critic and my most loyal supporter. As I look back on my life I realize how undeserving I am and that I really am lucky to have him in my life. It has not always been sunshine and roses for us, but that's expected. He grounds me. I love him for all that he is and isn't....and I know that I don't show my love for him as much as I should....this is something I need to try to do more often.

This is my hubby and I at the school fundraiser
That I mentioned in my post
Behind the Scene with Jules

2. Remember the simple things in life. This is a picture of a bowl that I keep on my foyer table (a table that I pass by a thousand times a day). I had gathered the rocks on my last trip to Cape May and found these little starfish in one of my favorite Cape May stores called Whale's Tale. If you haven't already guessed it, the three starfish represent my three kids and the white rocks remind me to remember how beautiful life is in it's simplest and purest form, so don't sweat the small stuff.

Simplicity of life.

3. A cup of warm Egyptian Licorice Tea. One of my closest friends got me hooked onto this tea by Yogi.....yum. I never ever liked licorice, but for some reason I love this tea. Now, whenever I feel stressed, I go to my pantry and make myself a cup of this tea and my mouth does a little happy dance. I think that I might actually be addicted....one time, I literally tore apart my pantry trying to find the new box I had bought ( finally settling on another tea for the night) only to find it the next day in the snack cabinet, where my daughter had placed it by accident.

Yogi Tea: Egyptian Licorice is my current fav!

Thanks for joining me....what are the three things that you love this week? What brings you comfort?

Three for Me

Three for Me! In this feature post, I will share three things that I absolutely ....love, love, love, love....crazy love.

Here you will get a glimpse into things that really move me and make me smile.

Now, of course, you all know that to start this feature post off properly, I need to include three of the most important things in my life......My kids.

So, the Three for Me this week: My three kids.

By the way, the awesome black & white photo above was taken by a dear friend, Scott Clinton. If you are looking for family/wedding/portrait shots, you should definitely check out his website at www.Simulacra.com 

But, I must tell you that Scott is really an artist and his work speaks for itself. He has done amazing work for various clients including up and coming rock bands to photos for ihome..... did you see the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue?  www.ScottClinton.com 

Psst.....just a little note, he travels all the time up and down the East Coast, so don't be shy if you're interested....just tell him I sent you!