Archives for July 2010

Wordless Wednesday: Virginia Beach Mural

                                                                      Mural on a building in Virginia Beach, VA 

Living In Somebody Else’s House Is Gross!

Do you watch the New Jersey Housewives?  Do you remember Teresa Giudice stating that, “Living In Somebody Else’s House Is Gross”?  Be careful those words could come back to haunt you and it looks like they’ve come back to haunt her.  I remember the episode she uttered those words.  My response was wow, what did she live in before she moved into her mansion.  What does that say to the majority of people in America who have purchased a home who had a prior owner?  I say the joke is on you girlfriend.         

She’s now $11 million dollars in debt and the contents of her manison is scheduled to be auctioned on August 22.  Beauty and no brains is how I sum Teresa Giudice up.  Her beauty is noticeable, but so is the fact that she lacks a brain. The manison has 6 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, and more marble than Rome.  What I also noticed more than her opulence, is her ability to botch the English language.  She struggled with the word cleanliness and didn’t have a clue what an entrepreneur was although she was trying to describe her husband’s occupation.   

Back to that ugly ass mansion, frankly I wouldn’t have spent a dime on one thing that she owned.  She dished out a bundle on the ugliest furniture that I’ve ever seen.  Ornate is the style (shown above).  Huge, dark, chunky pieces of furniture that weigh a ton.  The house has more marble than Rome.  It boasts 10,000 square feet and it’s about to be empty.  This crazy woman owes $20,000 to Nordstorms, Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus.   They owe over $104,000 in credit card debt.  Now here’s the real crazy part, they only earn $80,000 a year between the 2 of them.  The payment on their Cadillac Escalade is $1200 a month.  That’s more than my mortgage payment.  

Why do people do this?  How can you possibly afford a $4 million dollar home and a $1200 a month car payment off $80,000 a year.  Oh, that’s right they owned 2 other homes, 1 on the Jersey shore as well.  The home on the Jersey Shore was the reason they didn’t have an in-ground pool.  

If you want to own a piece of Teresa’s ornate furnishings, check out the A.J. Willner Auction.  They have a list of what will be sold in the front yard on August 22.  I seriously thought about going.  Hell I don’t have anything else to do, lol.  I’ve even gone as far as Googling the address.  It’s a 4 hour drive, but since her style is really not for me it’s not worth the drive.  I did look at a mirror that will be auctioned, but I would need a Uhaul to get it home and once I did get it home it would take up an entire wall.  

I feel sorry for the children, their beds, toys and bikes are being auctioned.   What has she taught them?  They have 4 daughters, 2 will be old enough to remember this downfall.  It is so sad. I wonder how much she spent on her breast implants?  No, I’m not jealous.  I’m carrying enough for 3 women.  No implants needed here.  Just another unnecessary expense. 

Well Teresa won’t starve, she will be eating her words for quite awhile.  She’ll be eating these words too, “I ain’t got no budget”.  This is a reality show honey, get real.        

I’m An Addict

Hi, I’m Rhonda and I’m an addict. No I’m not a drug addict, but I am a reality tv and food network addict. I’m also addicted to blogging, Facebook, scrapbooking and on-line games. I’m not sure when it all started, but I do know that I’m in over my head. I believe it started with the Food Net Work, Iron Chief to be exact. I than moved to Project Run Way and on to all the Housewives shows. That’s right, Orange County, New York, Atlanta and now New Jersey.

I’m glued to the entire season of Project Run Way and now it Cupcake Wars. Did I leave out Bridezilla? I love then all. Damn Bravo, Lifetime and the Food Network. I’m yours, you own me.

The new season of Project Run Way starts this Thursday and I’ll be there. My favorite season of Project Runway was Season 4. I absolutely loved it. Chris March and Christian Soriano were on Season 4. Chris March was eliminated, Christian Soriano, above, went on to win at Fashion Week. Both were hilarious, Christian was my favorite. Maybe because he was from nearby Annapolis, MD. Maybe it was his catch phrases, Bitches, Hot Mess, I’m gonna die of barfness, Ferosh. If I was a 10 sizes smaller, this Bitch would be a Hot Mess in his Ferosh designs. Oh yes I would.

I’m not sure which of the housewife shows I like best. It would probably be the New York housewives if I had to choose. Why, because I think they’re probably the most real out of all the shows. I like the Atlanta Housewives, but I don’t like the fact that they are some broke ass bitches trying to betray themselves as Divas. I mean really. Now Nene keeps it real. I like Gretchen on OC, but Vicki irritates me at times. I respect the fact that she is a hard working woman with 600 insurance agents in her company. She’s not dependent on her husband’s income, she has paved the road to her own wealth.

I like Alex on the New York Housewives, but I think her husband is as sweet as he can be.  Ramona oh Ramona, you give me the creeps.  It’s the eyes girlfriend, they just freak me out.  I like Jill, but she was just not one of favorites this past season. I think Kelly is just a nut. Can we get a head doctor on the next season for her?

I’ve found a new drug that I use on Sunday nights, Cupcake Wars. You can catch it on the Food Network at 10:00 EST. I can’t bake to save my life, so I admire their creations. The show was summed up nicely, “This ain’t no cake walk, it’s a cupcake war”. 

I know that I need help, just turning off the TV is just not going to work for me.  I think I would literally have to take all of the TVs out of the house.  I also know that’s not going to happen, I just purchased a 37″ flatscreen for the bedroom.  Nothing has worked.  I’ve become a great multi-tasker.  I can watch all of my shows and play on-line games.  Love Plants versus Zombies, Bejeweled, and Cake Mania. 
I have learned to love myself unconditionally over the years.  That’s why I can stand before you proudly and say I’m an Addict.  Are you an addict?  Leave us a comment and tell us what you’re addicted to. 

Christening Day – Selecting A Cake

First, I remembered the night my daughter called to tell me she would be dedicating my grandson to the Lord. Oh what a blessing.  Although I hadn’t said anything to her, I had wondered when the day would come.  We had to make the day special.  Today, I’m sharing parenting tips on selecting a Christening Day Cake.  

 

Christening Day Tips

 

 

We planned everything from his Christening suit to the meal after the service.  I chose his Christening suit and hosted the meal after the service. My daughter and her husband attended the required classes at church and contacted those who had been selected as the Godparents.  A role that is not taken lightly in our family. After all, the Godparents are involved in his upbringing and could possibly raise him if the parents are unable to.

 

 

Besides baby and the dedication, the cake will be the center of attention. We wanted to carry a religious theme into the meal.  As a result, we decided to incorporate the cross on his cake. It turned out beautifully. We selected yellow cake with a butter cream icing rather than fondant.  I have found that fondant icing can be pretty to look at, but removing the fondant and getting to the icing is difficult.  As a result, it makes it hard to really enjoy the cake. I wanted everyone to enjoy desert.

So, not only was the cake beautiful it was delicious. To stay within our budget, we had the bakery at one of our local grocery stores create the cake rather than a private bakery. Their cakes are just as delicious, and we saved enough to purchase these adorable Tiny Blessing Blue 10″ Octagonal Dinner Plates (8 count) and the accessories.  They are available in pink and blue.

 

We purchased the dinner and cake plates as well as the cups, napkins, and a matching table cloth for the food table. We purchased light blue table clothes and utensils at the Party Store. The tables turned out just as special as the day. I ordered the plates and cups on-line, however, Target now carries the set in pink and blue. 


Image-Christening-Cake


Xavier dropped his pacifier for a taste of the creamy goodness on the cake. He loved his pacifier, so we knew that we were in for a special treat with the desert. We served potato salad, pasta salad, meatballs, green beans and corn and fresh fruit followed by ice cream and cake under white tents. There was a wonderful breeze, so the setting was perfect.

If you’re having a ceremony, other ideas for a cake are:

  • Angels
  • Christening Shoes
  • The Bible
  • Baby Jesus
  • A Lamb
  • Christening Gown

Finally, I feel at peace as a mother and grandmother. Knowing that my daughter’s faith is strong enough to dedicate her son to the Lord is a mother’s dream. I hope this post gives you a few ideas to make Christening Day special for you and yours. May you each be as blessed as we are.  You may also like 11 Christening Day Tips.

 

Wordless Wednesday: Virginia Beach Fireworks

                                                          Fire Works On The Beach