Wicked

Today was one of the best days ever!

Abby, Sarah, Natalie and I went and picked up my mom and headed out on an adventure.

Our first stop was to Olive Garden for some lunch.

Our next stop was to the Morris Center in South Bend for the traveling Broadway company performance of Wicked.  This was the only shot I got of the stage.  It was before the show started.  Natalie loved the dragon or whatever that is.  I've never been really sure what it was.

Here we all are waiting for the show to start.

To say that Natalie was excited is an understatement.  She could not wait for those lights to go down.

 Far too soon, the show was over and there were things to buy.  Natalie was a little perturbed that they didn't have kid size t shirts.  She settled for a hat and some Elphaba (her favorite character) sunglasses.

She took in some of the views with Aunt Abby.  The Morris is a beautiful old theatre.

Then she was just being silly.  You can do that when you are going to be seven in three days.

This is Natalie on the ride home.  This was her response when I asked if she had a fun day.  She said she wished she could have hugged Elphaba and told her she loved her voice.  Now, she just wants to go back and see the show again.  Lucky for her, it is coming back to Chicago this winter.  Just in time for grammy's birthday in December.  Think of how pretty it will look in Chicago then.  I see a train ride to the city in our future.  I can't wait either, Natalie. 

It was the best day ever!!

2013 Ultimate Blog Party

It's that time again.  It's time for the........

2013 ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY

Janice and Susan, the twin bloggers behind 5 Minutes for Mom are hosting the 7th annual Ultimate Blog Party.  It's a party on internet.  It's a place to meet new friends and find all kinds of new blogs.  There are even presents to win. 

The premise is very simple.  Write a party post on your site, sharing a bit of what you and your site are all about, and then add the URL to the party post to the applicable linky list.  So, with that in mind, here's my party post.

My name is Nancy aka Bacardi Mama.  I have been married to my husband Dick for just shy of 40 years.  We have four beautiful daughters.  Cindy is 38.   Katie and Sarah are our twins and will be 30 on May 1.  Abby is our baby at 25.  We also have three wonderful sons-in-law and one more to come in the next few years.  We love them all.  But....the absolute lights of my life are my beautiful grandkids, Lizzy, Jack and Natalie.  They melt my heart on a daily basis.  If you've never been here before and look around, you'll see they get a lot of my blog time.  We got some very exciting news last month.  Grandbaby #4 is on the way and due on November 2.  This makes me beyond excited.

I spend my days working in a preschool and I couldn't love it more.  My granddaughter Lizzy is even in one of my classes.  At the ripe old age of 58, I have no plans whatsoever to retire any time soon.  It is the perfect schedule.  I leave by 7:30 and I am home by 3:30.  The real plus is that I only work 180 days a year.  I love having the time off at holidays and my summers free.

I started blogging in January of 2009.  I had no idea what to expect.  What I found in the blogging world was wonderful.  I have made some absolutely amazing friends.  I have even become a contributing writer for the website The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans through blogging.  I have met many of the friends I made online in person.  It is a truly amazing thing.

 

My passions are my family, my photography, the Chicago Cubs, Notre Dame football, social media and fitness.  I know it's an odd little mix, but it's me. 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by.   I hope you will stay a little while and browse.  Make yourself a Bacardi and diet (with lime, of course) and visit.  Please leave a comment so I'll know you were here and I can stop by and visit you too.

Baby Snyder

Happy Easter!

This day of new life brings some very special news.  Baby Snyder aka grandbaby #4 is due on November 2.   It is the most special Easter present.  Congratulations Katie and Mark.  You have made this grammy very happy!

An Awesome Friend

I'm really proud of a story I did over at Shrinking Jeans today.  It's a story about a good friend I met four years ago when I started blogging.  Her name is Sharon Couto and she is amazing.  I love Sharon.  She is smart, funny, fit, inspiring, encouraging, loving and awesome.  I feel like I left so much out of the story today.  Maybe over spring break, I can do a post here about all the things that got left out of this first post.  In the meantime, go over and read about Sharon.  You won't be sorry you did.

The Older Sister / Sharon Couto

A Winner and an Irish Greeting

We have a winner in the The Croods Giveaway.  Rhonda at Mimi's Toes was the lucky #9 as picked by random.org.  I just emailed her to get her mailing info.  Congratulations, Rhonda and thank you to eveyone who entered.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY 

Dreamworks The Croods Preview and Giveaway

I love when at the ripe old age of 58, I can get excited about an animated movie.  The Croods by Dreamworks is one of those movies.  From what I can tell, I am going to love it!

   

THE CROODS is a 3D comedy adventure that follows the world's first modern family through the journey of a lifetime. When the cave that has always been their home is destroyed – with the rest of their world not far behind it – The Croods are forced to set off on the first family road (or path) trip. Rocked by generational clashes and seismic shifts, The Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures, and a future beyond any they imagined. 

The Crood family dynamics, though unfolding a few million years ago, feel like they could come from your own household. Like most fathers, family patriarch Grug (Nicolas Cage) is fiercely protective of his wife and three kids. His hyper-vigilance has kept his cave-bound family safe, secure and....super- bored. Grug’s strong and dutiful better half, Ugga (Catherine Keener), accepts her husband's "fear is good; change is bad" mentality, as does their son Thunk (Clark Duke), who’s content with the static status quo. Feisty mother-in-law Gran (Cloris Leachman) never tires of needling (or sometimes assaulting) Grug; and stone-tough toddler Sandy might be the fiercest Crood yet. But leave it to a rebellious teenager (is there any other kind?) to stand up to parental authority. Grug's sole focus is survival, but Eep (Emma Stone) wants to actually live, and her curiosity about the world outside their cave collides with her dad's primitive rules. (Ever the defiant outsider, Eep gets her own ledge to sleep on while the rest of the Croods form a “sleep pile” for some group shut-eye.) A cataclysmic event forces the Croods to venture into parts unknown and rethink their way of living. En route, they encounter Guy (Ryan Reynolds), whose dazzling new discoveries – like fire...and shoes – shake up the Croods in unexpected ways. Most of the family (especially Eep) is smitten by Guy’s vision of a new place called “tomorrow,” but Grug sees the biggest calamity yet: a charming teenage boy from which he must “protect” Eep.

The Croods soon realize that if they don’t evolve…

they’re history.
But leave it to a rebellious teenager (is there any other kind?) to stand up to parental authority. Grug's sole focus is survival, but Eep (Emma Stone) wants to actually live, and her curiosity about the world outside their cave collides with her dad's primitive rules. (Ever the defiant outsider, Eep gets her own ledge to sleep on while the rest of the Croods form a “sleep pile” for some group shut-eye.)

If you watch the trailer below, you'll see that a couple million years hasn't changed family that much.  You may just see your own family in there.  I sure did.  My husband and I raised four daughters and we had many a moment like you'll see in this movie.

 With any journey comes discovery – and The Croods’s trek provides many “firsts,” including: the aforementioned family, road trip, fire and shoes, as well as the first pet, the first cell phone (OK, it’s a shell, but still) …plus: the first joke, the first pair of sunglasses, and even the first mid-life crisis.

I could go on and on about this movie.  I think it sounds like it is going to be amazing and hit close to home for all of us.  I hope you'll make a family outing of seeing this movie.  That is my plan.  Grammy, Poppa, Natalie, Lizzy and Jack out for lunch and a matinee of The Croods.  March 22 is the release date for this new venture from Dreamworks.

Now, if you were paying attention, the title of this post promised a giveaway.  I have a Belt plush toy.  He is the first pet in the movie.  I also have a movie poster for you. 

Mandatory Entry:  Tell me who you would like to take to see The Croods.  Kids, grandkids, friends?

Extra Entry:  Like The Croods on Facebook.

Please leave me a comment for each entry with an email to get a hold of you if you win.  I will draw a winner on March 17.

I received related products in compensation for this post. All opinions are my own.

The Next Chapter aka Book #6

I kind of have an amazingly talented son-in-law.  By day, he is an insurance adjuster and yoga enthusiast.  By night, he is a gifted writer and I'm not just saying that because he is married to my daughter.  I would be reading his poetry even if I didn't know him.  His name is Ryan Fredric Steinbeck and his sixth book of poetry, Tales of a Stone Mason is due for a late April release.  To say that I am excited is an understatement.

This is Ryan and his lovely wife Cindy ( I would think she was lovely even if she wasn't my daughter ) at one of his book signings.  I love when he does poetry readings at his book signings.  He has as much of a flare for reading his poems as he does for writing them. 

Ryan's latest entry to his collection is a book of spirited poetry with
richly layered stories that are both real and metaphorical.  This collection finds him getting into much different characters like never before and there's an authentic personality emerging from his writing that was not as prominent in previous collections.  I am very excited to be able to finally read it.  I am also excited because Ryan is writing his first novel.

You can find Ryan on Facebook and on his website.  His five previous books are available on Amazon and through his website, if you'd like to try him out.  I truly think you'd be impressed and entertained.  If you like poetry, you'll love his work.

Five Question Friday

Somehow, I forgot all about this Five Question Friday that I was doing before.  I just remembered when I saw it on a friend's post this morning.  She had forgotten too.  

1. What was the most productive thing you have done this week?

Easy peasy!  I worked out eight times plus my mini marathon training. 

2. Enjoying the winter or ready for spring?
I would love winter if we could just get a big old snowstorm!!  We haven't gotten more than two or three inches at a time and then it turns warm and it melts in a day.  I want to be able to get out and play in the snow!!

3. Are you an introvert or extrovert? Is your spouse the same as you?
I'm an introverted extrovert!  I am out and doing things all the time, but I'm not the one who is putting it all together usually.  If someone asks me to go somewhere, I go.  My husband would rather stay home unless it is sports releated.  He'll go golfing or fishing anytime someone asks. 

4. Would you rather go without music or television for 1 year?
Definitely television.  I hardly watch anything now.  It would kill me to go without music though.

5. Have you ever been truly scared of someone?
Not that I can recall.  Probably as a kid though.

Okay, that was fun.  Glad I got back on track.  I've been neglecting the old blog lately.  My plan is to get on here for a real post this weekend.  I have lots of things to catch you up on.

Loving Me

I did a post over at Shrinking Jeans this morning about Self Love Month.  I'm putting my heart into this.  I'm going to get it right and keep the feeling alive.  I am worth the effort.  I can do this.  We can all do this.  Repeat after me....I Love Me!!  Here's a little inspiration to help you on your journey.  It's a little picture heavy, but can't we all use a little help to get us in the right frame of mind?

Last, but certainly not least.....

My dad used to tell us this all the time when we were kids.

He was right, you know!

Motivorganization Month Update

I am moving right along with my month of decluttering and organizing.  It is going a little slower now that I am back at work, but it's moving along.

Just a few of my accomplishments........

The kitchen junk drawer is now clean.  Amazing what you find in there.

Our one hall closet seems to be the catch all for everything.  It still has a lot of stuff, but it looks so different.  I found seven of my own sweaters on that top shelf.  Five of them went to Amvets.

Here are five of the eight bags that have gone to Amvets or the garbage since I started. 

I have been enjoying this January project.  I have found some treasures that I forgot I even had.  I've also found a lot of junk that I didn't need.  Letting go is hard sometimes, but I've put on my big girl panties and forged ahead.  It's been a very freeing month.  I'll keep you posted on the final results.  

Thank you so much. Christie for this inspirational project.