Things Remembered

Steve always tells me I remember useless stuff, like what I was wearing when we first kissed, or where we were when I saw something I really liked.  I see it as remembering things I find most important to myself. 
Birthdays growing up in my family were celebrated amongst family.  We didn't have big extravagant birthday parties with all of my friends every year like the kids today.  I had friend parties for the big birthdays like when I turned 5 and 13.  Even though I didn't have those big parties, they were still the best parties ever!  They were celebrated with the ones that most loved me and cared about me, my family.  Let me be the first to say, I really do have the best family!  Let me bring you back a few years and let you celebrate like we did. 

First my mom always told me the story of the night I was born.  I was 5 days late and decided it would be fun to come during the middle of a snow storm in WV. 

When I was young, my parents bought me one of these.

Do you remember these?  My old Fisher Price record player!  I loved this thing! 
Another year they got me this to go with it

It's not just a record, it the birthday song from Zoom from the Moon.  Do you remember it?  If you've never heard it, or need a refresher, here are the lyrics, I couldn't resist!

Space command to Zoom
All systems are go for your message to YOU!

Hey, YOU!
It's your birthday!
I'm in charge of the stars
And I'm here to say,
'cause YOU,
You're the BIG STAR today!

My name is Zoom
And I live on the moon
But I came down to earth
Just to sing you this tune
Hey, YOU,
It's your birthday today!

A present for you
I wanted to find
An outerspace creature
A one of a kind!
A wild whop or a kukelchoo,
An apple drop or a buzzardstew
Or maybe a 3-eyed tickleshay
For your birthday

Did you ask:
"uh, what's a kukelchoo?"
Well, up on the moon it's nothing new
But that won't do for you,
On your birthday!

I searched behind the clouds and stars
I even zoomed my bike to Mars
And met my friend the saucer man
And he said:
"Hey Zoom I got the bestest plan!
What your friend needs is something new,
So how about a song, just from YOU?"

And so tonight when you're in bed
I'll be singing to you as I zoom overhead
Singing, YOU! Happy Birthday
Singing, YOU! Happy Birthday
Singing, YOU! Happy Birthday
To you!

Happy Birthday, YOU!
See you next year!

I love this song, you always knew it was your birthday when it got played. 

Because it had such an impact on my cousins and myself when we were kids, my cousin AKA my little sister Brooke got one for Da Freakout for his birthday.  We now make it a tradition to play it for him on his birthday.  You can buy it on CD now with your name, it is so Tinsel!!! 

You can get it here.

Birthdays for me always had a bought cake that looked like this

or this

because my birthday is so close to Christmas I always had a birthday themed cake and my gifts wrapped in Christmas paper.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I loved my cakes and appreciated my gifts, but my birthday is 7 days before Christmas, not on Christmas.

We didn't really go anywhere or do anything big and crazy.  We spent time together remembering the day I was born and celebrating me.  We had yummy birthday cakes from my favorite baker, Mrs. Mooney in Clarksburg WV, they were always jelly filled, yummy!!  We listened to Zoom and I opened my gifts which were always things I really wanted.

Now that I'm all grown up, and moved away from home, things have changed a little.  My cakes are usually made with care by my son and husband.  My record player needs a new needle so I don't get my zoom from the moon anymore, though I need to probably by a cd now. And since we live so far from my family, we celebrate much smaller, just the boys and I, though once in a while they might come to visit or we celebrate with my Mrs. Mooney cake when we do make it to WV.  I still get the best birthday gifts ever, my husband make sure of that, he's the best, if I haven't already said that! 

I will always love my birthdays.  You always have the ones you look forward to, and those you dread, but I don't dread birthdays, each one is exciting and special.  I figured that out 3 years ago.  I was dreading my 30th, I cried, didn't want a party or to celebrate.  2 weeks before my birthday, my childhood best friend died, Michael, he was 29 years old, he never saw 30.  From that day forward, I decided life was to precious to worry about how old I was.  I was alive, I was healthy and life is good.  So I celebrate my birthday every year with a smile on my face make my wish and love those that surround me for those birthdays, because life is to short and you never know what might happen. 

Celebrate, love, and appreciate what you have, not what you don't!  Have a great day and come back tomorrow.  I have my favorite birthday pie recipe I'm going to share!

Love, BJ

 

Bobbi's Favorite Things, kinda like Oprah

In honor of my birthday coming up, I wanted to do a little take on Oprah's Favorite Things.  I would say that I'm a pretty selfless person.  Everyone comes before myself and I love seeing the joy on others' faces. But if I could be like Oprah and have the ultimate gift list for myself and to give to you all, these are the things that would be on it.  Some of these things I own, and others are my ultimate dreams and desires, things I probably will never have, but since it's almost my birthday, a girl can *WISH*. 

#1 A MacBook Pro from Apple

A great computer I can play with my pictures on, create cool things and do all my blogging and writing.

#2 A Great coffee pot and mug

I love my Kitchen Aid Coffee maker, and I have to have a great pottery mug, not any old cup will do.

#3 My favorite foods which I can't get in one place or even two, I mass purchase it when I'm in the town it's made.  Ideally it would just be shipped to me once a month in bulk, haha!

D'Annunzio's Italian Bread fresh from the bakery in Clarksburg, WV

Corky's Ribs and Sauce from Memphis, TN

Tomaro's Pepperoni rolls, fresh from the bakery in Clarksburg, WV

Ray's Original Pizza, NY City

Nathan's Mustard, NY

Blue Plate Mayo, LA

#4  The Harry Potter Series and Twilight Series

I know they're not everyone's thing, but I love a good book able to make me use my imagination, and I love all of these!

#5 Yankee Candle, Ocean Waters for everyday and in the Winter, Bath and Body Works, Winter

I love for my house to smell good and clean!

#6 A Great Coach Purse, Comfy Ugg Boots and a Piece of Jewelry that reminds you of your kids and husband.  I don't have a picture of my favorite ring, it was designed and made by my husband and favorite jeweler, Mr. Tim Williams from Williams Jewelers in Bridgeport, WV

#7 The most comfy house slippers in the world are made by Romika, I love, love, love these house shoes.  We don't wear shoes around the house, so these are great for just being in the house with.

#8 Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits

She does a great job of just putting me in chill mode.  I pop her in when I just need to relax.

#9  Swaddle Me 

I wish I had one of these for my first child!  I would wrap Baby Diesel up in this, and he would melt like butta. All moms with a new born should have one.

#10 Jillian Michaels for 1 week

What I would do to have her as a trainer for 1 week, that is if I made it through 1 day with her.  This would be all the motivation I would need for a lifetime.

and finally the Ultimate Gift, as if some of these are pretty extravagant and since I'm not really Oprah, I can go above and beyond the car she gave away this year with one of these.

#11.  Citation 10

Only in my wildest dreams! Isn't she beautiful?!

I hope you have a wonderful day and big dreams and wishes like I do. Love, BJ

Tupperware in the Trunk

I am not sure where all of my viewers are from but if you live anywhere that mother -nature likes to snow on, you might want to read this. I will try to get you guys and girls thinking about how to be prepared when a winter storm affects your area. I joke about the chicken- little mindset that goes on here in central Ohio, and the obvious lack of preparation displayed by the masses. It is relatively easy and inexpensive to get ready for the “white death.” I am going to focus on weathering the storm in your car.

Mother-nature isn’t always motherly; she can be unpredictable and more often than not she can have some pretty bad cases of PMS.  We can take proper precautions to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.  If you take care of your car it will be more ready to take care of you. Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned for better contact with the road and more traction. Never let your gas tank get below half tank, this will prevent your gas lines from freezing.  Install winter tires on your vehicle. Most importantly, wear your seatbelt.

The best advise I can give you in a snow storm is this: stay home. If it is not an emergency, and you really don't have to go out, don't. I know what you are thinking. I can drive great in the snow! You may be the next world rally champion but most people freak out and cannot grasp the basic fundamentals of winter driving. Don't tempt fate: snuggle up with your favorite beverage and a loved one and watch the reports of death and destruction on the highways from your couch.

Storms can magically pop up and wreak havoc on entire cities. Most of us have jobs that require us to brave this type of weather each winter. I have a medium sized Tupperware tote container in the trunk of my vehicles. Here is what I pack, just in case I get stranded going from point A to point B.

• Jumper cables- to restart engine
• Sand- for tire traction and some added weight in the back of my car
• Shovel- to scrape snow away from tires (I recommend the E-Tool from Glock)
• Ice scraper- to clear windshield
• Warm clothes gloves, a hat, sturdy boots, warm jacket and even a change of clothes
• Emergency Blankets- to keep warm (As many blankets as you have seats)
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Any Medications you may take (In case you are stuck on the road)
• Food (Nuts and energy bars, crackers)
• Water (As many bottles as you have seats)
• Cell phone (program a list of emergency numbers into you phone)
• Flares or reflective triangle
• Baby formula and diapers if you have a small child

If you find yourself stranded, be safe and stay in your car, put on your flashers, call for help and wait until it arrives. Running your engine and heater for 15 minutes out of every hour will keep you warm and conserve gasoline. Well friends, the weather forecast was correct, the rain has changed to snow and I hope that this will help you out where ever you are. Stay safe, stay warm and have a happy holiday season. 

Barry

Can't Touch This

I'm pretty sure I have one of the funniest kids around.  He is definitely entertaining.  Here are some clips from the other night.  Have a very safe and happy weekend!  I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! Love, BJ

Decorative Glass Block

While walking through Hobby Lobby, I see new things and wonder, gee, what could I do with that.  Well for months I've eyeballed glass blocks and have thought, that would would be cute all lit up, but what can I do with it to make it cute?  One day while checking them out, a woman who was teaching a painting glass came by to pick up a few.  Noticing how interested I was in them, she offered for me to check out the one she did.  I went to the classroom and saw how she painted scenery on them.  Well I don't paint all that much, so I knew that was out, but I got a great idea.  I would cut vinyl with my Cricut and etch the glass.  So I proceeded to get the things I needed,  went to the dollar store to get ribbon and went home to start on the block. 
This is what you'll need
1-glass block (the ones at Hobby Lobby and Micheal's are perfect, but if you want to get it at a home improvement store, that's an option)
1- roll of ribbon (the rolls at the dollar store fit perfectly in the groove of the block)
1-bottle of Armor Etch or Frost Spray (I did the first one with Armor Etch, and the others with Frost Spray.  It's cheaper and works just as well)
1-package of 35 lights (20 isn't enough, 100 is to many)
Vinyl cut to the shape or word you want.
Sponge to apply Armor Etch and rubber gloves
Bowdabra (unless you can make bows)

1st I make my bow, I love my bowdabra, it's so easy!

Leave enough ribbon to go around the block
Cut your vinyl into the word or shape you want

Apply the Armor Etch or Frost Spray

The Armor Etch says leave on for 5 mins, I left it on for 1 hour, removed it with water and applied another coat, you don't want to see through clearly.
When it's completely dry, you can remove the vinyl or not.  I've done it a couple different ways.
I've left the vinyl on, took it off and left it plain, and took it off and painted it.  If you choose to paint it, I got the paint a Michael's, it is Vitrea 160, it is strictly glass paint.  Once it dries, it doesn't need to be heated, that's just to make it safe to eat from.
Add your lights and bow (I secure the bow on with some hot glue) and PRESTO

They make great decoration for your house, a night light for your kids room, or the perfect birthday or holiday gift.  I've made a few because I love them so much!
You do what you like, it's now your creation! 

I hand cut the the WV because my machine doesn't have that capability.

Happy Crafting!!!  Love, BJ

What you want

What makes you decide to frequent a blog?  What makes you stop and check it out to begin with?  I want to know what you want to read about.  Since I love so many things, and I love to write,  I want to know what you, my readers want, or what you would want to pass this blog along. 
Leave me a comment or email at datssocute@gmail.com and I will try to the best of my abilities to write about what you want, or what you would want Steve or Barry to write.  What kind of crafts are you looking for?  Just let us know.  We can't wait to hear your suggestions.

Yard Vomit

Christmas traditions are a big part of my family.  One tradition that my boys are already enjoying is driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations.  We take a ride around the surrounding neighborhoods and check out what others have put up.

Steve enjoys putting lights up on our house, and a few decorations that we have accumulated.  Every year after Christmas we purchase one more item to add the next year.  I'm sure if he could buy more, he would, but I draw a line at one.  Da Freakout gets so excited to help daddy put the decorations out.  I really do think that if Steve had the opportunity, we would be the Griswold's from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.  There wouldn't be a spot on the house or yard without a light or decoration.

When living in Mississippi years ago our wonderful neighbors and friends gave us the name that we have adopted.  Have you ever drove past a house and thought OMG, that yard just threw up Christmas decorations?  That is what we call Yard Vomit.  There are different extremes of yard vomit.  From mild like ours.

To the extreme like these.

I think it's great that people get this into the holiday season, It shows that the holiday spirit is still alive and I love that!  I would have to say though this neighborhood is out of control, in a good way.  I have only seen this on television until the other night, and I thought it would be a travesty not to share it with you. 

If you have yard vomit, or know someone who does, share it with us.  We would love to see it.  Send an email to datssocute@gmail.com and enjoy this video!  Love, BJ