HNT ~ Flowers, Flowers Everyehre!

I am such a lucky girl to have received three bunches of roses in honor of St. Valentine's Day!
Yes that's me in the mirror amongst the paper hearts.

This is my favorite bunch.
The creamy peach turns bright fushia along the edges of the petals.

Here are some bright red beauties!

And these are deep velvety red with baby's breath.
The house smells just heavenly with all these flowers blooming.
I can't wait until they all start to open.

Happy HNT! For more please visit Views From the Back Row.

HNT - Flash Back Family Trio Photo's

Inspired by Susie & Lime, I'm also having a flashback HNT today. Not having any children of my own, I've instead flashed back to my baby years instead. Here is a snap of my Dad, Me and my Mom circa 1962 or 63. That is their VW Bug in the background. Wouldn't you love to have that car today? Just think how much cash one could raise selling it to a collector. My piggy bank would be stuffed!


I've always loved the candid portraits of my family & friends which show them in sets of three. They end up being some of my favorite photos. The energy of the subjects really shines through. There is something magical about the number 3 that I think adds to the composition of the shots as well. Below are a few examples:


My Nephews and my Brother-in-law at the Disney's Storybook Cafe ~ October, 2007. It truly is "the greatest place on earth!" when it comes to family-friendly entertainment.


My Godson/Nephew, Sideways Sam, and Myself ~ October, 2007. At the beginning of a great day spent together while his Mom was celebrating her 30th HS reunion. Go Cypress Centurions!


October 31, 2007 ~ Irene the Fairy Princess, Lilian the Good Witch, and LisaPizza the Purple Puma out to lunch together at the Olive Garden on Halloween Day.


I have also had a fascination over the years with photographing my cars. Which I attribute to the many family photo's of the past where a family is often seen posing in front of, or riding in, the new family car. Just to show you what I'm driving these days ~ here's my Honda CRV.


Vintage photo ~ Can you name the make, model & year of the car? Hint: these ladies could be driving to the first US National election for which they were eligible to vote.


Above is my Dad with the Hummer of the moment ~ Spring, 2008. This photo was taken by my Bonus Mom, his wife Jeanne. She is always so good to share photo's with us and I love her for it. Unfortunately, because she is usually the photorapher, she is rarely in the photo's herself. Therefore, I don't really have many photo's of her :- (

Please leave me your guess on the vintage photo in your comment. All other comments are also welcomed. Hope you are having a great day in Blogland. Your blogging buddy, LisaPizza97

Happy Halloween HNT!

We had a spooktacular day and I hope you did too! Miss WitchyPoo, the Fairy Princess Pricilla and myself, the Purple Panther had a delightful day. We dined at the local Olive Garden together and then off to visit my Nephew Josh and his buddies from school, and bring them Happy Halloween Treats!

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WitchyPoo casts a spell on her nemisis the Fairy Princess Pricilla!* * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * *
* * * * * * * * * * * Not so fast, WitchyPoo, Pricilla blocks the evil spell with her own white magic!

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Josh was just home from football practice and begrudgingly took a photo-op with us while he was still all sweaty! My, what a handsome young man he has become. And his buddies are a charming group of well mannered and fun-loving friends.

Please share your Halloween adventures with me.

55 Flash Fiction Friday ~ Happy HNT! Year of the Tiger

adopt your own virtual pet!

I named my pet tiger cub after the Lishui River, also known as Li River,which is a river in Hunan province of China, one of the Yangtze River's four largest tributaries in the province. Click on her to hear her purrrrr! Click on "More" to feed her.

I've always been fascinated the with Chinese Zodiac. I am a water tiger born in 1962.

Click here to find out more about YOUR Chinese zodiac sign.

TIGER DATES
Persons born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "year of the Tiger," while also bearing the following elemental sign:

* 8 February 1902 - 28 January 1903: Water Tiger
* 26 January 1914 - 13 February 1915: Wood Tiger
* 13 February 1926 - 1 February 1927: Fire Tiger
* 31 January 1938 - 18 February 1939: Earth Tiger
* 17 February 1950 - 5 February 1951: Metal Tiger
* 5 February 1962 - 24 January 1963: Water Tiger
* 23 January 1974 - 10 February 1975: Wood Tiger
* 9 February 1986 - 28 January 1987: Fire Tiger
* 28 January 1998 - 15 February 1999: Earth Tiger
* 15 February 2010 - 3 February 2011: Metal Tiger
* 2022 - 2023: Water Tiger

TIGER ATTRIBUTES
The Tiger, associated with good fortune, power, and royalty, is viewed with both fear and respect. Their protection and wisdom is sought after. The Chinese (and generally all of the East) see the tiger, and not the lion, as the king of beasts.

Tiger people are difficult to resist, for they are magnetic characters and their natural air of authority confers a certain prestige on them. They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding, soft and mysterious in unexpected places. They enjoy a life full of challenges and unexpected events, like visiting unusual places and meeting interesting or outstanding people. Other people in their area are easily attracted by the tiger's enthusiasm and way of life. Tigers find pleasure in the unpredictable, and while other people would rather make a backward step, they are not afraid to explore the new and unusual. But it is not that simple to interest the Tiger. What they really need is first-hand experience. Usually open and frank, these people are likely to withdraw and can be aggressive when trapped. As soon as the Tiger has regained their sense of security their confidence also returns, enabling them to set out once more. These people usually tend to trust their instincts, though there is another side of their personality, which assesses situations thoughtfully before they launch any actions. Their friends usually secretly admire their determination and optimism, though sometimes may find it complicated to share the Tiger's enthusiasm and can be pushed away and left behind. Although Tigers can be courageous and generous friends, if they are not able to achieve what they want, they can be inflexible. So if your friend was born in the year of the Tiger, there will be highs and lows in your friendship, but the friendship itself will remain firm.

CHINESE ZODIAC ELEMENTS


To find out more about HNT you can follow the link on the left.

Happy HNT Late Again, Ooops!

Happy HNT! The Real Me

The Momma bunny protecting her young
and loving life in the great outdoors!
Sometimes I'm a tiger, but today I'm feeling
much more maternal so I'm the Mother Rabbit.
What animal would you use to symbolize yourself?
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Check out Susie's the Boss for another Spring HNT.

Happy HNT! MAC Make-Over

I was given a fantastic make-over today by Shannon at my local MAC counter. My husband didn't much approve of the final outcome, but I had a blast & I think I look marvelous! This was done in preparation for an up-coming all girl weekend trip I have planned. I have really been wanting to update my look & I had the perfect excuse to have it done for me. I received a Nordstrom gift card for completing one of those long, tedious surveys online. You know the ones, where you have to answer about a billion yes/no questions and complete at least two of the offers to receive the proposed "gift". I can be very patient and I always find at least 2 deals I can complete either for free, or for less than $10. Then voila! I have a free giftcard, or a free iPod, etc. I applied my Nordy giftcard and a little of my own cash to pay for my new cosmetics. I now have new eyelashes, eyeshadow, blush & lipstick. I'm ready for a night out clubbing with the girls.

I'm curious. What do you think of my new look?
Have you ever done a make-up counter make-over?
If so, how did it turn out?

Want to know what HNT is all about? Go to Osbasso and get the skinny!

Genius Albert Einstein - My Hero

Happy HNT! Albert & Me discussing his special theory of relativity while enjoying

the display about the Universe at the Griffith Observatory.

Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is widely considered to have been one of the greatest physicists of all time. While best known for the theory of relativity (and specifically mass-energy equivalence, E=mc²), he was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.”

Published Works in 1905: His paper on electrodynamics of moving bodies proposed the radical theory of special relativity, which showed that if the speed of light is the same when measured by any observer no matter how they are moving, then real physical consequences must follow — e.g., clocks slow down and rulers contract when in motion, thus requiring fundamental changes to the notion of simultaneity. This

In his paper on the equivalence of matter and energy (previously considered to be distinct concepts), Einstein deduced from his equations of special relativity what would later become the most famous expression in all of science: E=mc², suggesting that tiny amounts of mass could be converted into huge amounts of energy.

His paper on the particulate nature of light put forward the idea that certain experimental results, notably the photoelectric effect, could be simply understood from the postulate that light interacts with matter as discrete "packets" (quanta) of energy, an idea that had been introduced by Max Planck in 1900 as a purely mathematical manipulation, and which seemed to contradict contemporary wave theories of light. This was the only work of Einstein's that he himself pronounced as "revolutionary". This is what is know as quantum physics.

His paper on Brownian motion explained the random movement of very small objects as direct evidence of molecular action, thus supporting the atomic theory.

All four papers are today recognized as tremendous achievements—and hence 1905 is known as Einstein's "Wonderful Year".

A bronze Statue of Einstein at the Griffith Observatory.
Young Albert before the Einsteins moved from Germany to Italy.
In 1999, Albert Einstein was named "Person of the Century" by Time magazine.
A 5 Israeli pound note from 1968 with the portrait of Einstein.

For more biographical information go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein

Quotable Notions: Einstein is almost as famous for his quotes as he is for his scientific research and theories. This is one of my favorites:

"Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity."

Happy HNT! Doris Day

Hear I am, double chin and all, with two of my favorite actors

- Dorris Day and Kirk Douglas.
I think this picture must have been taken during the filming
of their movie Young Man with a Horn. It hangs in the lobby of the

Palm Springs Tennis Club were we spent our anniversary last month.
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Young Man with a Horn (1949)
Kirk Douglas plays hard-drinking, passionate music man Rick Martin in this drama inspired by the life of jazz trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke. Thanks to a devoted mentor, the young, idealistic Rick proves to be a musician of the highest caliber. But his life hits a sour note when his troubled marriage, penchant for the bottle and stormy personality threaten to derail a promising career. Lauren Bacall and Doris Day co-star as Rick's love interests theis was the first truly dramatic role I'd ever seen Dorris in. She & Kirk are both fabulous.

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The following are some of my favorite Doris Day Moives...

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Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Nightclub singer Ruth Etting (Doris Day) tries to keep her secret romance with a musician under wraps in this dramatic musical based on the life story of the 1930s singer. Etting is controlled by Martin "The Gimp" Snyder (James Cagney), who builds a nightclub and makes Etting its star. Snyder catches Etting with musician Johnny (Cameron Mitchell) and goes to prison for trying to kill him, leaving Ruth to continue performing in Snyder's nightclub. Doris received some of the best notices of her career for this role.

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Pillow Talk (1959)
Womanizing songwriter Brad Allen (Rock Hudson) spends hours on the phone wooing his many women. Problem is, he shares a party line with prim interior decorator Jan Morrow (Doris Day), who's miffed because she can't get any calls. Then Brad gets a gander at Jan -- and it's lust at first sight. Realizing he's a goner if Jan learns his true identity, Brad concocts a Texas persona to seduce her. When the truth comes out, there's hell to pay. Thema Ritter is hilarious in this picture. As usual she play a domestic, sidekick to the lead actress, Doris.

It Happened to Jane (1959)
Single mother and fishmonger Jane Osgood (Doris Day) may be in over her head when she receives a large order from the Marshall Town Country Club for lobsters. Unfortunately, she fails to deliver, as the supply arrives ruined because of a train delay. To compensate for her business loss, Jane enlists her admirer, George Denham (Jack Lemmon), to sue the railway's owner (Ernie Kovacs) in a fight that winds up longer than the train route itself. Doris stikes a blow for feminism with this character. She stand up to the railway owner like the best of businessmen & hilarity ensues.
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These last three movies are all examples of Box office queen and "world's oldest virgin".

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Algonquin Round Table member and showbusiness wit Oscar Levant, who had known Day earlier in her career, summed up the paradox of Day's late-blooming ingenue phase when he famously said, "I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin." But the public loved Day's light, frothy comedies of this period, buying enough tickets to make her by far the top female movie star in America during the first half of the 1960s.

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Sideways Sam wanted his picture taken with the Rat Pack.

The woman on the right is noted only as "a local Palm Springs Beauty".

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Please have a happy HNT!

Happy HNT! White Horses

Hello, you beautiful beasts.

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Who is that looking over my shoulder?

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This is one of my favorite pieces in the Palm Springs

Museum. Doesn't it look like two horses looking thru the

door of a barn with me standing just outside it?

Happy HNT! Bobbing for Blondes

Happy HNT! What I love about this picture is the bodiless doll floating in the tub with me. Until I saw this photo, I never knew I was distructive with my toys. Do I remember the beheaded beauty? No, not a flicker of recognition. The toys I most remember from my youth include my GI Joe - I have the one with blond hair and the dueling scar. He only has one military uniform and that's his parachuting gear. I mostly dressed him in Kens clothes much to his chagrin. He dated Malibu Barbie with her bendy arms & legs and she dug his rugged good looks. I have a Chrissy doll with red hair of course. And I have several Topsy Turvy dolls and their cars with the road maps to drive them upon. I also have my PEZ collection which started when I was about 6 and has continued to this day. I'll dedicated a future post to them. Let's not forget the Kiddles and their charms. I even have one in her perfume bottle. I can say have, because I have a Mom who saved everything for me. I guess it was pretty easy for her 'cuz I'm am an only child, but she gets major points for helping them survive the 2 thousand mile trek from Chicago to LA when we moved in the late 70's. Do you have a favorite doll or toy from your youth? Or is there a toy you wish you still had?