Pink and Green Thursday

I'm participating today in Pink and Green Thursday, hosted by Pink Preppy Lilly Lover. Enjoy the prettiness!

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Click on the icon to participate!

"The Middle": Not Quite Your Typical TV Family

One of the TV series that has apparently been given a third chance at life by ABC's Powers That Be is a little gem of a show called "The Middle."

I have to admit, I almost passed over this little show entirely. Apparently this is its second season, and I just recently started watching it... but lately it's been on my list of things to make sure are DVR'd.

Why? Well, it's laugh-out-loud funny. And it stubbornly refuses to portray television's perfect family, always complete with flawless good looks and decorator-magazine homes.

Not that Patricia Heaton and Neil Flynn and their three TV kids are ugly. They're just REAL.

The situations that Mike and Frankie Heck and their children find themselves in are so genuine, strike such a chord, and hit so close to home that at times it's almost painful--but not painful enough to keep you from guffawing.

Heaton and Flynn are perfect as a Midwestern couple just trying (desperately, at times) to get by and raise their children to be decent people.

Their teen-aged son Axl (Charlie McDermott) is cute enough, but lazy and often disrespectful. His outrage at his parents' strictures is comical--but you get the feeling that he will turn out to be a perfectly good guy.

A recent episode saw him having to follow through with a prom date with a weird girl that he had accidentally invited (by text message, of course. And we can kind of forgive him, because she was one of a plethora of "Ashleys" at his school--who wouldn't get confused?).

Axl did the right thing, even though we as the audience could clearly see that he was going to have a terrible night. (I do wish Axl wouldn't use the Lord's name in vain so often.)

Eden Sher as junior-high daughter Sue Heck is nothing short of delightful. Her unbridled enthusiasm and undaunted cheerfulness and determination help her navigate through the often painful pitfalls that we all know comprise the middle-school experience.

Sue is far from being precociously gorgeous and/or sexy. She's like most junior high students, like I was (if you ever had the unfortunate chance to see my junior high yearbook)--socially awkward and not very pretty. Nevertheless, she's adorable.

And Brick. Brick is one of the best things about the show. In real life, Atticus Shaffer has a disease called osteogenesis imperfecta, type IV , which causes him to have extremely fragile bones.

This hasn't stopped Atticus from having a great acting career as a 12-year-old playing a character 3 years younger than himself. Brick is very intelligent, very quirky, and very funny. I love his habit of whispering to himself the last word of a sentence he has just uttered.

The Hecks' home in Orson, Indiana, isn't perfect either. The home decor seems to represent some of the more regrettable colors and choices of midwestern living, and it's not always (in fact, rarely) perfectly clean and uncluttered.

If you like to laugh...and maybe you're a little fed up with perfect TV families...you might want to check out "The Middle."

Biggest Loser Update: Down to the Final Four

It's been a while since I've done a Biggest Loser update, but I have been watching the show. And now we're just a couple of weeks away from the finale, and the Final Four are in place!

From the beginning of this season, my favorite contestant was Courtney, and I was crushed when she was eliminated--way too early, in my opinion. Courtney had the spirit and determination that could have helped her win it all.

After she left, I cast about for my remaining favorites, and I soon realized that they are the sisters, Hannah and Olivia.

To be honest, I wasn't always so crazy about them...but as the weeks have gone by, these two have definitely emerged as my favorites. Honestly, I would be fine with either one of them winning, and that could very well happen.

Last night, Austin was voted off. That leaves Jay, Irene, Hannah and Olivia.

I hope it's not mean of me to say that I've just always felt Jay is a little boring. I like Irene, but she's been quiet for the most part and fairly under-the-radar.

Olivia before, and on the make-over episode

I just really, really like the sisters. I think they've shown remarkable strength and determination, and I think I identify with them because I love my own sisters so much.

It's also been amazing to watch their transformation into such lovely and confident women. (And were you blown away when Olivia sang last week?)

So what do you think? Do you have a favorite among the final four? Let me know in my comments section!

Baby Boomer Quiz: A Trip Down Memory Lane!

(This was originally posted 6/21/05...)

Remember "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony"?

Remember reaching into a huge cooler of pop bottles chilling in ice-cold water? Remember taking a long swig of Coca-Cola that was so cold it had slivers of ice in it? Remember paying 20 cents a gallon for gasoline? Remember listening to top 40 AM radio?



If you do, you're probably a baby boomer.

My 101QFL cohost, Darren Marlar, gave me this quiz on the air this morning, and it was a nice little walk down Memory Lane:

BABY BOOMER QUIZ

Look at the items below. You'll know that you qualify as a true Baby Boomer if you remember...


1. "Cruising" on a Friday night, listening to the Top 40 on your AM radio.--(Oh, yeah! I don't even remember being aware of FM radio until I was a sophomore or junior in high school...and it definitely wasn't top 40.)


2. How much popcorn you made when you got that first microwave.


3. When there were only 3 TV channels -- and it was so hard to choose what to watch!--(At least you didn't need a remote!)


4. Where you were when JFK was shot...(or RFK)...(or MLK, Jr.)...


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5. When the "Domino Theory" meant something other than planning to have pizza for dinner.

6. Who shot J.R.?




7. How scary it was to open that first Apple II...(or Tandy)...(or Commodore)...to add a card to increase the RAM from 16K all the way up to 64K.


8. When your teenage son or daughter first told you about the Internet.--(I'm on the young side for that one--my kids weren't teen-agers yet, but I remember when news stories were trumpeting the soon arrival of what they kept calling "the information superhighway.)


9. When the Beatles sang "I want to hold your hand" to Ed Sullivan.--(Yep.)

10. The unbelievable taste of good ol' Ripple wine.--(Have to pass on that one.)

11. How "neat" it was to hear the Beach Boys actually sing surfing music at the beach, on your transistor radio.--(Transistor radios! Loved 'em. My sister had one that looked exactly like a Coke can. My mom said she almost threw it away a million times, thinking it really was a Coke can.)

12. When you bought your first car that actually had seatbelts installed.--(Not really...I always remember seatbelts being there.)

13. When you said that you'd never trust anyone over 30.--(Nope...that was the "hippie" era. I was still pretty young then.)

14. What a TV test pattern looked like, when the channel went off the air at midnight.--(Yep, and the national anthem playing which meant it was time to go to bed. That was actually a good thing--a point at which you could NO LONGER WATCH TV.)

15. When we gave up trying to win "hearts and minds" and settled for "peace with honor".

16. When the price of gas jumped up to 50 cents per gallon.


17. When everybody did the "bump" in their leisure suits at the disco.--(I never frequented discos, but I sure do remember that era. Eeesh...leisure suits. How could we have ever thought those were cool? I bet they take hundreds of years to decompose in the landfills...)


18. Making love, not war, on your way to Woodstock in your flowered VW van.--(Again, too early for me.)


19. Watching the first man walk on the moon with "one small step..."--(Yep, I was glued to the (black and white) TV when that happened.)


20. When Carnaby Street came to Main Street, and everyone wore mini-skirts and platform shoes.


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How many of those items do you remember?

Add up your score and compare with the grade levels below:

16 - 20 remembered: You qualify as a true Baby Boomer -- you were there and remember it all.

11 - 15 remembered: You're probably old enough, but they say that "memory is one of the first things to go..."

6 - 10 remembered: It's nice to have you youngsters join us here today.

Less than 6 remembered: Either you're real young or you once were a friend of Timothy Leary's -- wasn't he the one who said "If you remember the '60's, then you weren't really there?"

I have a few to add to the list

Remember when every girl wore their hair long, straight and parted down the middle? You could look at your high school yearbook and it would be rows and rows of girls with that look (except for the black girls, whose Afros were so big they sometimes didn't fit in the picture.)

With my naturally curly hair, oh what pains I took to obtain that look. I spent every night with my hair in a pony-tail on top of my head, rolled into two enormous rollers bigger than orange juice cans.

Remember, years earlier than that (circa 1968, '69) when everyone wore fishnet hose? The really cool girls had different colored ones to match with every outfit.

Remember when yarn ribbons were the must-have accessory for hair?

Remember Dippity-do?

Did you have a crush on either of the guys on Alias Smith and Jones? (Read about my crush on Pete Duel.)

Which Monkee did you think was the cutest?

Got any to add to the list?

Friday Fabulousness: Gregory Peck

"It has been said that Gregory Peck — handsome as they ever came — embodied the best in all of us. He gave idealism a good name, made it seem possible in the flawed state of this human condition."--Harry Haun

Perusing photographs of this man, I have to believe he was one of the most handsome men that ever lived. Enjoy!

From Wikipedia: President Lyndon Johnson honored Peck with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 for his lifetime humanitarian efforts

"Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life."--Gregory Peck

"I had that stubborn streak, the Irish in me I guess."--Gregory Peck

"Gregory Peck was unique. He represents integrity, compassion and honesty."--Kirk Douglas







"His values and his standards are very high, which is why Bogie respected him so much. You don't meet many people, much less actors, who have that kind of character."--Lauren Bacall




“He can be funny, which is fortunate; otherwise such perfection would be unbearable.”--Louis Jourdan



In a 1989 interview, Peck mused, “I love the seasons of life, and I’m fascinated with the pageant of growing older. I eat what I please and sprinkle hot peppers on almost everything. I’m not obsessed by age, and I don’t think about death. I just do the things I really enjoy. When I drive to the studio, I sing in the car. I love my work and my wife and my kids and my friends. And I think, ‘Gregory Peck, you’re a lucky man.’” --Tribute to Gregory Peck

All photos via tumblr

13 of my favorite TV characters of all time

I'm delving into the archives of Notes in the Key of Life to participate in the Thursday Thirteen meme! This was originally posted in September of 2008, so you'll see references to some shows which were airing then, but are no longer on.

What are YOUR favorite TV characters? Let me know in my comments section!

...in no particular order (and yes, some of these go waaaay back...)

--Lisa on "Green Acres," played by Eva Gabor...she was so ditzy and quirky, she cracked me up.


--Barney, played by Don Knotts, on "The Andy Griffith Show." Need you even ask why?



--The Virginian (I don't think they ever gave his name), played by James Drury, on "The Virginian." Mysterious...manly...you know, the strong, silent type


--Al, played by Dean Stockwell, on "Quantum Leap." Not sure why...I just really liked him.

--Phyllis, played by Cloris Leachman, on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." She made an art form out of being snobby and clueless at the same time.

--Herman Munster on "The Munsters," played by Fred Gwynne. Again, he was just funny...and he had that great, deep voice. The thought of monster as lovable goof...


--Emily, played by Suzanne Pleshette, on "The Bob Newhart Show." She was just a cool character...a pleasure to watch.

--David Addison, played by Bruce Willis, on "Moonlighting." His smart-aleck wise-cracking kept me watching, and promised his future stardom.

--Rob Petrie, played by Dick Van Dyke, on "The Dick Van Dyke Show." Again, no explanation needed--he's a legend.

...and more recently...

--Hugo "Hurley," played by Jorge Garcia, on "Lost." Hurley's down-to-earth sense of humor is one of the things that keeps the show from spiraling into inaccessible weirdness.

Dr. Jack Shepherd, played by Matthew Fox, on "Lost." I know a lot of viewers don't care for Jack, but I think he's the heart and soul of the show.

--Peter Petrelli, played by Milo Ventimiglia, on "Heroes." His basic goodness and likeability make him immensely appealing. For me, there could be no show without Peter.

--Hank, played by Fred Ewanuick, on "Corner Gas." He's just so likably goofy!

Which is the best "Jane Eyre"?

Michael Fassbender as Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre (2011)

Today on my book blog, Cindy's Book Club, I'm asking what is the best movie or television adaptation of Jane Eyre.

Please head over there and chime in!

Life Made Lovely: Lovely Grandchildren

What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene Perret


Being "Nana" to two little boys has become one of the greatest joys of my life! For Life Made Lovely today, I'm sharing some pictures of my little darlings from my recent trip to Texas. Hope you enjoy!

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani

Grandchildren bring a whole new dimension of love.~My mom, Cynthia Garrett

Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children. ~Ruth Goode

It is as grandmothers that our mothers come into the fullness of their grace. ~Christopher Morley

I'm participating today in Life Made Lovely, hosted by Blessed Little Nest. Click the icon for more info!