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My new favorite song!

Emily

Okay, I know we’ve all heard this song and honestly, the only part I remember is the ‘Chantilly Lace’ part. I heard it on my oldies station this past weekend and listened to this song in it’s entirety and I seriously love it! I was definately born in the wrong time period. I am a flirty 50’s stlye girl, no doubt. I love the way The Big Bopper says Helloooo BAAAABY! in this tune…it’s so cute! I would have already added it to my Fine Tunes juke box there to your right, but being the blond that I am I forgot the user name and password to my Fine Tunes account, so duuuh, I guess we’ll all just have to wait till old Blondie here gets her memory back.

Here are the lyrics to the song:

Chantilly Lace

(phone ringing…he answers)

Hellooo baby,

yeah, this is the Big Bopper speaking…

Oh you sweet thang!

Do I what?

Will I what?

Oh baby you know what I like!

(Chorus)

Chantilly lace and a pretty face

And a pony tail hanging down

That wiggle in the walk and giggle in the talk

Makes the world go round

There ain’t nothing in the world like a big-eyed girl

That makes me act so funny, make me spend my money

Make me feel real loose like a long necked goose

Like a girl, oh baby that’s what I like!

What’s that baby?

But………..but…………..but………oh honey!

But, oh baby you {{know}} what I like!

Chorus

What’s that honey?

Pick you up at 8 and don’t be late?

But baby, I ain’t got no money honey

Oh alright honey you know what I like!

Chorus

Here’s a contrast for you. The My Humps song by the Blackeyed Peas(which I still like, but it’s so raw) is basically talking about the same thing as the Big Bopper is in Chantilly Lace, but the 1958 tune leave so much to the imagination! Bopper mentions spending his money on her, just like the Humps song she says how he keeps spendin’ money on her but she won’t put out despite his most desperate attempts to get her to let him touch her ‘hump’ and her ‘lady lumps’.
What do you think the gal talking to the Big Bopper on the phone is saying to him? How fun it is to imagine what she is telling him. She’s probably teasing him like crazy, but the song writer kept the lyrics wholesome and to our imagination. What a stark contrast to the lyrics of the My Humps song.

Oh, how innocent life was back then. Do you think society will ever revert to more wholesome ways again, or are we just doomed to have raw sex and raw images in our face with nothing left to the imagination? Wholesome. “Oh BABY THATS WHAT I LIKE!”
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OMG…HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG?!!

Emily


I have officially fallen into blog oblivion with my first dry spell lasting almost a month and a half. I hate when bloggers do it to me-those times when I visit my favorite blogs and they are stagnant day after day, week after week, and now I’ve done it to you. I am sorry. I will try to not let this happen too often. Unfortunately, I have learned, it is bound to happen. Life works that way. Occasionally we tend to get lax about seeing people in our lives that are important to us, we tend to get caught up in all the little crap that life tosses our way and that keeps us from doing the fun stuff, and the important things in life. I am guilty of it.

In the last month or so I haven’t felt inspired by anything. Not the news, (well, not that I’ve actually listened or watched the news.)nor other bloggers, nor by something I’ve read. It’s been terrible up here in Blondville. I’m living true to my stygma-I’m feeling empty headed.

I have been a bit busy. In the last few weeks, my catalogs arrived-all 10 thousand of them! I have boxes stacked in my dining room and my house must be groaning just a bit from the added weight those boxes have brought. My little blurb came out in Country Living Magazine’s November issue, and that’s exactly what I’ll call it. ..little. To say I was a bit disappointed is an understatement. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was much more than the way they presented it. Oh, well. One shouldn’t complain because after all, it is Country Living.

Just last week, I spent some time networking and trying to regain my old gig at Create and Decorate magazine. A few years back I used to design projects for their publication and most of what I’d contribute were dolls and other stuffed items like crows and cats. I dropped off the bandwagon and now I want to get back into designing again. Working for a magazine is really a rewarding experience and I miss it. Soooooooo, I call the new Editor, leave a message and she called me back two days later. Turns out, she and her assistant editor were thinking of me since I have been one of their main doll designers in the past. How coincidental! They really haven’t had much in the way of dolls in the past year or so. They’ve had a lot of rug hooking and needle punch projects offered and I thought maybe they’d like to have me back to create some doll patterns for some upcoming issues to add a bit of variety to the magazine. I ran my ideas past her and she seemed to really like them. We both agreed my coming back and designing for the magazine was something we both wanted, so voila! I have my gig back at C&D! Now to get my ideas on paper and some prototypes completed to send in to her. I am so happy! This will set a creative momentum swinging for next year.

GIRLFRIEND GETAWAY ALERT! I am now getting packed and ready to go on a road trip with my old pal Cat and her friend Rhonda to Columbus, Ohio to attend the Fruit of Their Hands Show. It is this weekend, November 9th and 10th. I am going to bring some deliciously yummy yarn and my knitting needles and I’m going to whip up a scarf on the ride up. Keeping my hands busy should pass the time along with enjoying some really good laughs with Cat and Rhonda. I’m sooooooo looking forward to spending the weekend with these ladies. Cat makes me laugh so hard, I’m guaranteed to add a few extra days onto my life from all the riotous laughter I will probably endure at her expense while on this trip. I’m not complaining, though.
Today I made a spontaneous call to ULTA and my stylist was free so I popped in for a hairstyle, highlights and eyebrow wax. While I was there, to top it all off, I had one of the makeup girls try the new Pur Minerals makeup on me and I liked it so much I purchased the starter kit! Luckily, I had a 20% off coupon in my purse which I immediately slapped onto the counter and with a smile I urged the sales woman to deduct $7 off my total. I love coupons, don’t you? Up above are some photos of me after my make-over. Girlfriends, I’m ready for the weekend!
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Hey Chicago whaddaya say…the Cubs have really won today!

Emily

YES! They have finally done it…by lifting themselves up from the deep pit of finishing last in 2006, they have gone on this year to clinch the Central Division!!! We are so happy here at the Franz house–we’re all doin’ the happy dance!

I got to see all my Cubbie men covered in champagne, too! Those guys are on fire this year and it’s because they are all so HOT!

GO CUBS GO!!! Let’s make it HEAVEN IN ’07!
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Pictures taken by me today…

Emily





I thought I’d try out my new camera and take some photos of some things that caught my eye on my way home from dropping the boys off at school this morning. The blue hollyhocks grow over the fence just behind the school and since Monday I’ve been meaning to bring my camera to photograph these beauties but I kept forgetting. Yesterday I remembered, but alas, the hollyhocks began wilting and weren’t as prolific as they were a few days ago. Instead, I opted to take a few close ups of them to show how pretty they were.

Jeff, my baby, (fifth and final) just got his saxophone yesterday and is so proud of it. I had to snap a photo of him trying it out. What a cutie. I keep telling him he’s gonna sound just like Kenny G someday!

The kitten is the newest edition of our family. We’ve decided to call him Fischer Bones (Fish Bones for short, although he tends to get called Boney. My husband calls him Simon. I guess he will be like the royals with 4 or 5 names.)
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This may be my guiltiest pleasure…

Emily

Look at this. It’s beautiful, don’t you agree? See that frosting, it’s perfectly smooth, and the color just delicious. The yellow cake is perfectly contained inside the cupcake wrapper. It’s perfection.

Yes, I am watching my weight with the anticipation of losing some pounds, but honestly, what is life about if you can’t enjoy one of these beauties once in a while? Not only do these taste delicious, but they are equally as beautiful to behold as they are to eat.

While in NYC a year or so ago, I went to some of the city’s trendiest cupcake bakeries. What a fabulous idea for a business! Ever since I got back, the idea of opening a cupcake bakery here in my town has been knawing at me. I don’t have the funds nor the business experience to open one, but I know if someone wanted to and had the know how and the greenbacks, they could make a killing if they opened one by the Metra train station in Tinley. There is only one cupcake eatery in Chicago. There is a need for one here in the Chicagoland suburbs.

Here’s an example of how much I heard the Magnolia Bakery in NYC pulls in on a monthly basis. They sell approximately 25,000 cupcakes a month at a price of $2.50 each. That doesn’t even include any other types of cakes or specialty items they sell in additon to the cupcakes. Now you do the math. This could be a real money maker. Situating a cupcake cafe right across from the train station could be a brilliant move.

I swear, if some joe ends up opening a cupcake bakery in the vacant shop directly across from my Oak Park Ave. train station, I’m going to kick myself in the tushie.

So much for trying to cash in on my seriously guilty pleasure.

My idea of the perfect spot for my dream cupcake bakery-right across from the Metra station near my house.

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I’m learning the ropes…er, CABLES!

Emily


I’m so excited! Last Sunday, I went to the house of a new friend named Regina and she is a very talented knitter. She was so sweet to offer to teach me some of the things I’ve always wanted to learn but couldn’t find out how. She is from Lithuania, and she has a difficult time reading English patterns, but she has all this in her head, so she is teaching me. I learned how to cable knit! I can do it from memory, but I haven’t tried to apply my newly adapted skills to reading a pattern yet.

Here is a photo of the beginning of my cable scarf, knit with that scrumptious orchid mohair/wool yarn I ordered a few months ago. Remember that post?

Now that fall is here, I’m dusting off my knitting needles and away I’m gonna go!
Thank you Regina!

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Now you can listen to music while you visit!

Emily

Check out my groovy Bloggy Juke Box! I have loaded 55 songs on there for your listening enjoyment…I’ve got everything from Dean Martin to Led Zepplin. Enjoy!

P.S. There’s even an Elton John song called ”Emily” that I just couldn’t resist! It makes my juke box so personalized.

To activate the music click on the green arrow in the center of the box. To choose songs, just hold your mouse over the right side of the square…click till you find a tune you’ll enjoy.

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I’m back! Been busy gathering a ‘STAFF’

Emily

Yes, you heard right. I am in the process of hiring a staff of women to help me sew as the orders start to come in. I put an ’email ad’ out in my Freecycle group (not necessarily following the rules, but a great place to gather women, for sure!) So far, I had 7 responses and I’ve interviewed 4 women. I invited them over, and taught them how to sew the design that will be in Country Living. To my surprise, they are all fabulous with the needle, and have done a great job with their mini lesson. One woman, Lori, with children in tow, opted to take the pattern and some muslin home and wing it on her own. Today she dropped off her finished product and her workmanship just blew me away! I’m so totally excited about this and delighted to have some backup. Just knowing I have help lessens my anxiety about getting a lot of orders. The last thing I want to do is dread getting orders for finished items. That’s where the money is! My husband has been telling me to do this for about a year now, but I just haven’t had the need for it until this month. Now, I can focus on designing new products while I have my staff of helpers to do the basic sewing for me. Of course, I am still involved in the creative side of finishing orders–doing the things that make the designs characteristically mine. I’ll add that ‘touch of Em’ so to speak.

All the ladies are older, with grown children and some are retired. They are delighted to do something like this from the comfort of their own home and get paid well to do it. We’re all winners!