Wednesday, May 15, 2013

On the Home Front ~ Diving Into our Renovation

Just realized this is my 100th post. Yippee! I really appreciate your support. Thank you for your interest in A Dose of Jules and for reading my blog. You are the best.

I'm taking a quick breather to give you all a mini update with the ongoings in my world.

After the craze of posting/writing a poem a day (I must admit.....I was fried!!!), my brain refused to do anything productive in terms of posting and life around the house got a bit hectic.

The biggest thing....we started our kitchen and bathroom renovation at the end of April. Yes, after 11 years of deliberation, we decided to bite the bullet and go for it. If not now, then it's never happening... because the college tuition train will be pulling in very shortly....and it won't be leaving for a long time!

Our renovation is pretty involved.... we are fiddling with a weight bearing wall, pushing into a Florida room, moving the bathroom and bringing the laundry room upstairs. We met with a few contractors, but I didn't feel comfortable with any of them.....I was a bit suspicious because some of the quotes were off by $40,000.....that's a lot of money......so, and after much discussion, our good friend offered to do the job for us ~ Thank you JP!

Now, my husband is sleeping much better at night. That's when he gets to sleep.....we have to pay the bills....sleep is over-rated anyway. (poor guy ~ love you hon)

Before work began, I visited the cabinet maker with pictures of kitchens I liked and choose my cabinets and knobs and pulls all on one day! What did I pick? Well, I will share that with you in the next On the Home Front post.

So, with our plans already done, a reliable and honest contractor by our side, all we needed to do was to nod our heads and pouf.......let the demolition begin.

That is after we get all the rooms cleared. Demo was scheduled to begin the week after we got back from Spring break, so..... I had one week to clear out the kitchen AND the basement below.



Phew~ One week later.....not bad.....patting myself on the back! Especially since my darling husband was conveniently away on a golf trip during that time. Not cool...... no worries, I have something planned too!



Thanks for stopping by ~ Are you working on a house project? Have you gone through a kitchen or bath renovation?

Share your stories or link up your post.....I would love to see what you've done. There is more to come regarding my renovation, so make sure to stop by and see what we are doing next.

Do you have any tips or advice?

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Asians Out Loud: Anna May Wong




Anna May Wong was the first Asian American Actress. Born in in Los Angeles, to second-generation Chinese parents, Anna developed a love for the movies and began acting when she was in her teens.

During the Silent Movie era, Anna was casted in Toll of the Sea (1922), one of the first movies to be made in Technicolor and in The Thief of Baghdad (1924). She soon became a fashion icon and reached international stardom.


Although she soon was know throughout the world, Anna was not happy. Unsatisfied with the roles that she received while in Hollywood, Anna decided to head to Europe. There she starred in many notable films and plays, such as Piccadilly. She also received many featured roles during the early sound era, in movies such as Shanghai Express with Marlene Dietrich.


After a disappointing rejection from MGM for the leading role in Pearl S. Bucks The Good Earth, Anna moved to Paramount and worked in several movies that portrayed Chinese Americans in a positive light.

When World War II broke out, Anna refocused her energy to helping the Chinese cause against the Japanese. She donated her money and auctioned off her Hollywood costumes in efforts to help the Chinese refugees.


After a 6 year absence from the film industry, Anna returned in 1949 with the movie Impact. In 1951, Anna May Wong was given her own television series The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, which was the first American television show to have an Asian American lead.

Anna May Wong died in 1961 at the age of 56, while sleeping in her Santa Monica home.

She has been credited with "humanizing" Chinese Americans in the eyes of white America during times of discrimination and racism.

Way to go Anna!


Friday, May 3, 2013

Show Off Your Blog Party Hop!





It's that time again! Let's Party Hardy this weekend at The SHOW OFF Blog Party! Woop! Woop!







There's a lot to celebrate this weekend too! My 3 AWESOME co-hostees did a remarkable job hosting the party for the last 3 weeks. It's their last week, so stop on by and thank them for being wonderful hostees with us!









Let's do some SHOWING OFF! My co-hostees and I thought these bloggers did a phenomenal job working their stuff:


Let's make sure we're aware of how many kids are affected


Women Empowerment! Let's Show it off!



I LOVE Foodie Stories!!! 


Read how mom raises her child through personal experiences

Congratulations to all our featured bloggers! Please take our
button to "SHOW OFF" that you were featured at the SHOW OFF Blog
Party:



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Don't forget to win a wrap
package
to get you swimsuit ready for the summer! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Are you ready to party? Before you begin, remember these simple

rules:







  1. Link up your favorite posts. It doesn't matter which one, just
    make sure it's family friendly! 
  2. Follow your host (that's me! The Wondering
    Brain
    )
  3. Follow all 3 co-hosts: JulesBrittany, and Tiffany 
  4. Leave a comment if you'd like them to follow you
    too
  5. Visit at least 3 other bloggers 
  6. Show them your blogger love too if you'd like them to
    follow 
  7. Remember, it's not a party unless you mingle, so mingle around and make some friends! 
  8. Take our beautiful badge and proudly display it on your side
    bar to encourage others to party with us! 

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Interested in co-hosting The SHOW OFF Weekend Blog Party next
month? We have spots available for June! $4.00 to reserve your spot for a month and a discounted
rate for ad space! We won't disappoint. I promise! Please email for more
information: 







thewonderingbrain@gmail.com 



Let the party begin!