Nostalgic Notions

Tonight at dinner I found myself taking a trip down Memory Lane with my kids as I recalled some of my favorite tv shows and my celebrity crushes. Here's a bit of what I reminisced about...

• Watching Pinky Tuscadero & Fonzie on "Happy Days." Fonzie really loved Pinky and I so hoped they would get married.


• Crying like a baby when Jenny died with Greg at her bedside on All My Children


• Hoping that Jamie Somers, the Bionic Woman, would remember how much she loved Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man, and they would be a couple.


• Listening to my Shaun Cassidy album over & over.
• Quickly finishing my homework so I could watch Willie Aames on "Eight is Enough"; Lance Kerwin on James at 15 (and after he lost his virginity the show became James at 16); Shaun Cassidy on the Hardy Boys; and Jimmy McNichol (Kristy's brother) on some show that I cannot remember the name of. I also remember watching a tv movie of the week with Jimmy McNichol where he was a hockey player and became a figure skater and his girlfreind was his partner. At the end of the movie, he died in a plane crash and I cried for days.
• Wearing my oh-so stylish Starsky & Hutch socks and wishing I was old enough to marry David Soul.
  

Those were the days, my friend...

A Few Quirks

I have to admit I'm not the best at this "tagging" thing. I would always be the one to break the chain in a chain letter. Not that I had anything against chain letters or tagging, I just tend to forget, procrastinate, etc. until it seems too late to do it. I am going to try and make the effort. The Preppy Engineer recently tagged me with Six Quirky Things Meme. Mr. Madras would claim that I have a lot more than six quirks, but here are a few...

1. I love pretzels -- all kinds -- soft or crunchy. My latest faves are pretzel chips. They're these flat cracker-like pretzels with an awesome crunch. They have a variety of flavors and I can buy a HUGE bag at Costco. I crunch and munch the whole day long.
   
2. I am a "pronunciation snob." I cannot stand it when people misuse words or, worse yet, "mis-say" them. You know, like "supposebly" instead of "supposedly." Some that really get me are "Barnes & Nobles" and "Krogers" -- there is no "S" people. You don't say J. Crews or Targets. It's "Barnes & Noble" and "Kroger"!
   
3. I am a huge fan of the San Antonio Spurs NBA team. I can hold my own in any conversation about the NBA and particularly the Spurs. Eva Longoria Parker's husband, Tony Parker, is their starting point guard and one awesome player.
   
4. I have to chew Orbit peppermint gum and wear Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine when I play tennis. I'm convinced the aromatherapy and peppermint help me focus.
   
5. I have to wear socks all the time whenever I'm in a hotel. Whether it's a Motel 6 or The Greenbrier, I've got to have my socks on.
6. I'm addicted to joining those book clubs like Doubleday, Literary Guild, etc. I keep joining, cancelling, rejoining, etc. Something about those ads "Get 8 books for $2" seems like such a bargain and I cannot stay away.
   

Just a few of my quirks...What are yours?
Rules of play:

a. Link the person who tagged you. That’s Me

b. Mention the rules in your blog post.

c. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.

d. Tag 6 bloggers by linking to them.

e. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

I'm tagging
Tickled Pink & Green
Magnolia Mama
Abnormally Normal
Preppy Pink Crocodile
Boo and Hooties Mom
Just Add Dots

Bargain Madras

Just had to share...In my quest to find more cute madras stuff to add to Tickled Pink and Green's growing Target list,I stumbled upon these AWESOME pillows from a site called TextileShop.Com. The best news is that they are such a bargain! A 27 x 27 floor pillow is only 9.99 and a 17 x 17 inch toss pillow is only $3.49!!! Here's the link. Hope there are some left after I made my HUGE purchase.

I'm In Love...

It's no secret that I have a fondness for madras. Everything from my ironing board cover to my key chain reflect my passion. So, needless to say, I was thrilled to get an email from the folks at Cape Madras letting me know about their absolutely ADORABLE madras collections. This is the REAL stuff, y'all...madras straight from Madras, India. Everything they have is quintessentially preppy and oh so cute!!! I must admit I have fallen "head over heals" in love with their Linen Collection. While they are still developing the linen line, I can tell from the "gotta have" madras chair and "too fun" ottoman, that I am a goner. Check out the linen collection here click on Linen Home. It's just fun to surf around the Cape Madras site -- the photo gallery is full of great pics that make you wish you were strolling the Cape right now.

I'm off to get my "madras fix" right now at Target. Tickled Pink and Green has posted about all the great preppy finds at Target right now. Can't wait to fill up my cart!!!

It's Official

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Well, I did it. I just clicked "submit" and I'm now officially registered to run in my first marathon. I've run the Houston half-marathon twice (2007 & '08)and flirted on and off with the idea of doing a full marathon but could always find many reasons why it wasn't a good idea. Well, I've decided 2009 will be the time and Walt Disney World will be the place. I can think of no better place to trot those 26.2 miles than through the "Happiest Place on Earth. I've convinced myself that the atmosphere and sheer magic of that place will make give me the extra "oomph" I'll need to complete a marathon. So on January 11th, I hope to lace up my running shoes, sprinkle on a little pixie dust and enjoy a "leisurely 26.2 mile stroll" through my favorite place on earth.

One place that I've found some excellent running inspiration as well as some wonderful insights into life is Kristen Armstong's (Lance's ex-wife) blog Mile Markers. Kristen has such a way with words and an incredible view of life. Reading her blog is a shear joy and her posts always leave me with some nugget of wisdom or insight that changes the way I look at life.

Any other preppy runners out there care to join me...I'll spring for the madras running shorts :)

The Big Green Purse & A Cute Pink Bike

Happy Belated Earth Day, everyone!!! (it was actually yesterday, April 22) Life at the Madras house is becoming a bit more "eco-friendly" every day. We're trying to make some strides (albeit, baby steps) to living more "green." Last week, I purchased "The Big Green Purse: Use Your Spending Power to Create a Cleaner, Greener World," by Diane MacEachern. It's full of eye-opening facts and user-friendly ideas. Diane also has a website Big Green Purse that shares a wealth of information on how we can make a positive difference in our environment by using our spending power.

One of the areas where I've decided to make a change is my mode of transportation. While I will still be piling the kids in the Odyssey most of the time, the Madras family will also be traveling .by bike a lot more. This weekend, Mr. Madras gave my 15+ year-old Schwinn a much-needed tune-up and a little TLC in preparation for its daily use. I plan on riding it to my tennis matches. Our courts are embarrassingly close to most of our ., yet the parking lot overflows with our SUVs. In addition, that quick trip for milk & bread will now be made on my bike. Luckily, the store is nearby and besides having to cross a fairly busy intersection, it's an easy ride. I've decided that if I stick to this plan for a couple of months<., I'll invest in this cute pink Raleigh cruiser and add a few fun accessories like the adorable green bike basket by Swedish designer Marie-Louise Gustafsson . I figured I might as well make a statement in style...

I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Finish What You Start

Well, I know...long time no post...I'd love to say we've been at DisneyWorld for the last month, but we've actually been home since March 23rd. I can't quite explain why I haven't posted. I've certainly thought of many ideas to write about...but, like so many things in my life...I just never seemed to get around to it. I'd read all my favorite blogs and think how interesting and witty they were and how nothing I had to say was that creative and cute. I seem to have this habit of starting many projects (like this blog) and going "gung-ho" for a while and then just leaving the project half-done. I even do it with books. Tonight, Big Sis asked if we could please finish decorating her room. (A project I enthusiastically started two months ago.) I believe her actual words were "Mom, can you just finish one thing before you start something else?!" Oops, what can I say to that? She's right, and I've decided that I've got to "lead by example." By the end of May my "completion goals" are:

• Finish decorating Big Sis' room


• Finish "Jane Austen in Scarsdale" A fun, preppy read I found in the bargain book section at Barnes & Noble. I'm more than halfway through the book, and I haven't picked it up in weeks. Instead, I started reading "The Big Green Purse" in hopes of beginning to live a little more earth friendly.


• Post on my blog at least 4 times a week. (even if I think it's not as good as everyone else's)
  

I'll keep you posted on my progress...Tomorrow is Earth Day so I hope/plan to post some fun facts from "The Big Green Purse."