North by Northwest - free to the public...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr637xG2iyQ_sRktVwa9aEU8Zvq6KuG0SUPERY3uaNJYOQWJP5tDcVNJhZuNEB8d7XMX8uxPQjtczN1SEX8dJsiZlajboQ7Jeg7y0gOswjWpQ0xTvHld3ON4JkaKk91gn6ElX0UtTckIAO/s1600/NxNW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr637xG2iyQ_sRktVwa9aEU8Zvq6KuG0SUPERY3uaNJYOQWJP5tDcVNJhZuNEB8d7XMX8uxPQjtczN1SEX8dJsiZlajboQ7Jeg7y0gOswjWpQ0xTvHld3ON4JkaKk91gn6ElX0UtTckIAO/s320/NxNW.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83aD-6R-rdZTEsPdUtZICQS45Vc1oWGtSvEEZOXg9q-_VzGytTEii0RAMSWQTTT-Wy5ilXYHrCrAQcD4Gu5O_0xILq0jDF1-b2sBfjVLnmedqK1IagbcGezl684kMwhe2A-Kn7xyR-MnK/s1600/nxnw+audience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83aD-6R-rdZTEsPdUtZICQS45Vc1oWGtSvEEZOXg9q-_VzGytTEii0RAMSWQTTT-Wy5ilXYHrCrAQcD4Gu5O_0xILq0jDF1-b2sBfjVLnmedqK1IagbcGezl684kMwhe2A-Kn7xyR-MnK/s320/nxnw+audience.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">When I was a little girl, the only director whose name I knew was Alfred Hitchcock. Though I didn't see any of his signature films of the era in a theater - <i>Rear Window</i> (1954), <i>To Catch a Thief</i> (1955), <i>Vertigo</i> (1958), <i>North by Northwest</i> (1959) - I must've seen the trailers, because I was well aware that he made exciting, colorful and glamorous movies.</span><br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Psycho</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> (1960) was the first Hitchcock film I watched on in a theater. I saw <i>Psycho </i>(a far cry from his elaborate VistaVision/Technicolor creations of the 1950s) second-run (I was <i>finally</i> old enough) at the local movie house, the Ritz Theater, with a friend who'd already seen it. Pal that she was, she nudged me just as Arbogast, the detective, reached the staircase landing of the Bates home and a figure with a knife darted toward him...naturally, I shrieked long and loud...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">I was fortunate enough to see <i>Rear Window</i> when it was re-released into theaters in 1984, but have seen most of Hitchcock's films on television. There's no question that his work comes through powerfully on TV, but his films were made – carefully - to be seen on full-size theater screens.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjDVlIn6pkex3gmKtAHxtjk1_8AYLjZY_3SmPVd3gyMMbsloLcphtilF64YL6aneiN_gBBTLXtoAEmcjqQfRWAbUGpo0cuXTF_zDgJ8E0zmNJNnFK-1O1pAWOQ-X4_M0vBuJ9OIlEozJo/s1600/Rafaelatnight-300x225%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgjDVlIn6pkex3gmKtAHxtjk1_8AYLjZY_3SmPVd3gyMMbsloLcphtilF64YL6aneiN_gBBTLXtoAEmcjqQfRWAbUGpo0cuXTF_zDgJ8E0zmNJNnFK-1O1pAWOQ-X4_M0vBuJ9OIlEozJo/s1600/Rafaelatnight-300x225%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rafael Theatre, San Rafael, California</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Last July the nearby <a href="http://eves-reel-life.blogspot.com/search/label/Rafael%20Theater"><span style="color: #990000;">Rafael Theatre</span> </a>screened the silent version of Hitchcock’s <i style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://classic-film-tv.blogspot.com/search/label/blackmail" style="color: #990000;">Blackmail</a> </i>(1929). The film exceeded my expectations in just about every way possible. I was surprised that it as well-crafted and fluid as it was and that it contained so many elements that were to become Hitchcock trademarks. Live accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra underscored the action and added dimension. And it was thrilling to be surrounded by an appreciative SRO audience.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Six weeks later, at noon on Sunday, September 5, the Rafael presented <i>North by Northwest</i>, free to the public, as part of its quarterly "Everybody's Classics" series. At 11:40 a.m. the line was long, but good seats were still to be had. By show time Theater 1 was packed and anticipation ran high.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Then Bernard Herrmann's pulsing score began and the crisscrossing lines of Saul Bass's title sequence filled the screen. <i>North by Northwest</i> was upon us and in just a few exhilarating moments I was whisked into the adventure.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncfTwxhlJ2LRmR7Js0ElvhCP0rydU3WwiZlcaNajjCjteH2h-thupKtdDIKMMWhqDVOae1u3vYpADTARrMJn1gVzZ1b2WssACPfp3TBJfeR46TrNQl3knU-mnnua1ISQmQn54Akoy3td6/s1600/North%252520by%252520Northwest%252520movie%252520image%252520%25283%2529%255B1%255D+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncfTwxhlJ2LRmR7Js0ElvhCP0rydU3WwiZlcaNajjCjteH2h-thupKtdDIKMMWhqDVOae1u3vYpADTARrMJn1gVzZ1b2WssACPfp3TBJfeR46TrNQl3knU-mnnua1ISQmQn54Akoy3td6/s320/North%252520by%252520Northwest%252520movie%252520image%252520%25283%2529%255B1%255D+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cary Grant - the adventure begins</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Possibly Hitchcock's quintessential thrill-ride, <i>North by Northwest</i> incorporates many familiar themes and plot devices - an innocent man accused, a romance complicated by mistrust and betrayal, a double chase (the police after the innocent man and the innocent man after the true villain), a backdrop of international espionage...</span><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">North by Northwest</span></i><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> has been linked to two of Hitchcock's earlier classics, <i>The 39 Steps</i><b> </b>(1935) and <i>Notorious</i> (1946), but by 1959 the director, at the height of his powers, was in a position to control just about every aspect of his films, much more so than he had been 10 and 20+ years earlier.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">He was able to cast his favorite actor/star, Cary Grant, in the lead. And though he was unsuccessful in enticing Princess Grace back to the screen as his leading lady, he transformed Academy Award-winning method actress Eva Marie Saint into a stunning and complex femme fatale. James Mason, Martin Landau, Leo G. Carroll and Jessie Royce Landis rounded out his first-rate cast.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLm5_dVQc_8P3zWLK5BEr_R1Tz5jlUh_VZVlsnINBG7Gqa80U-UgV_u3ix8BcNzpWIigkkar68CB7NvSlGN5uEDSMGZqZXGUUByPgOnNvbnc9v3toGPGV8MBOS6OOwSWbTTL1oVSftLfi/s1600/nxnw+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLm5_dVQc_8P3zWLK5BEr_R1Tz5jlUh_VZVlsnINBG7Gqa80U-UgV_u3ix8BcNzpWIigkkar68CB7NvSlGN5uEDSMGZqZXGUUByPgOnNvbnc9v3toGPGV8MBOS6OOwSWbTTL1oVSftLfi/s320/nxnw+hands.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint, hands on </td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Bernard Herrmann, who by now had worked with Hitchcock on several films, was just completing the score for the pilot of "The Twilight Zone" when he began <i>North by Northwest</i>. Ernest Lehman wrote the sophisticated and clever script that earned an Oscar nomination. Academy Award winning cinematographer Robert Burks, production designer Robert F. Boyle (also Oscar-nominated for this film) and other Hitchcock stalwarts joined in the collaboration.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">All of these ingredients plus glorious VistaVision and Technicolor added up to produce one of Hitchcock's most successful and exciting films.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">I'd seen <i>North by Northwest</i><b> </b>countless times and felt I knew the film well, but to finally see it on a movie screen was akin to seeing it for the first time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">To begin with, Cary Grant's starpower was almost overpowering - his screen presence was that commanding. What grace, what confidence…and how impossibly handsome he was. It's not surprising that Bernard Herrmann adjusted his score to match what he described as Grant's "Astaire-like agility."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">As might be expected, the suspense seemed magnified on a theater screen, and so did everything else - the humor was more direct and the seduction scenes more intense in their intimacy and erotic implications. The film’s pacing is acutely precise – with suspense building to an exquisite pitch, then, at just the right moment, relief - via wit or romance. Then, once more, the suspense begins to build…</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdsZttYxl-0L4WHyQTs4Fcc1DhOSajvG0gixaqFzmqLNqD1Xs_a0dNjO1k2VV8YgGAVhg8MvaFLMm42kTbYlpNKJ9t4F6SuWzbsqpTOlEFbO764Ez5_RCDRgBe-FwZwfX9vK6tAaW0eX4/s1600/NorthBrand%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdsZttYxl-0L4WHyQTs4Fcc1DhOSajvG0gixaqFzmqLNqD1Xs_a0dNjO1k2VV8YgGAVhg8MvaFLMm42kTbYlpNKJ9t4F6SuWzbsqpTOlEFbO764Ez5_RCDRgBe-FwZwfX9vK6tAaW0eX4/s320/NorthBrand%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climax of a classic chase scene</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The crop-dusting sequence with its truck-in-flames finale and the moonlit chase across the face of Mount Rushmore are striking set-pieces on a screen of any size. Via the big screen I could almost feel the heat of the truck’s explosion and smell South Dakota’s night air. These scenes are legendary and, for obvious reasons, much imitated. The early James Bond films emulate the crop-dusting scene... Steven Spielberg's <i>Close Encounters</i> (1977) includes a well-known homage with its replication of Hitchcock's night-time Black Hills.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Afterward, I couldn't help wishing I'd been able to see <i>North by Northwest</i> back in 1959 at the Ritz. The kid I was then would've come out of that theater exhausted and elated, convinced she'd just been on the greatest rollercoaster ride of her life.</span><br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoihabE6skbsSXUgz8BYBgbrbge-kESZRwqe64NIDi9ldGw2fQW-buTDBrsvEbl9I4TgdIA2BIK_Hl_BIJjkR7xKt3P_x7xfjsrenzHciIQ6fqQS-bow7sC_uSAkm6_j25btSHHNVQiIoY/s1600/nxnw_great_cast%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoihabE6skbsSXUgz8BYBgbrbge-kESZRwqe64NIDi9ldGw2fQW-buTDBrsvEbl9I4TgdIA2BIK_Hl_BIJjkR7xKt3P_x7xfjsrenzHciIQ6fqQS-bow7sC_uSAkm6_j25btSHHNVQiIoY/s320/nxnw_great_cast%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eva Marie Saint, James Mason and Martin Landau</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Alfred Hitchcock has been widely acknowledged for his matchless ability to maneuver an audience's emotions and point of view with ease, and it's hard to maintain much distance from Hitchcock's best films. This could be why I enjoy the <i>experience</i> of his films as much as I enjoy the exercise of <i>studying</i> them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">As with all Hitchcock films, <i>North by Northwest</i><b> </b>has a few things going on beneath its slick surface. But last Labor Day weekend, inside a darkened theater filled with laughing, sighing, cheering people, I was a child again for a while. Happily immersed in a suspenseful, clever, sexy adventure, I didn't really notice that, from the first note of Herrmann's score to the final shot of a darkened railroad tunnel, I was being swept along as if aboard a sleek 20th Century Limited under the command of a very crafty locomotive engineer.</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_eDVg712jVxSH8zKidSYldd3z-4A5O1JdxsUl31TOYTc-3O9sXaHvQtaQOdcWJm3q_kVu0p4IgQVbTrYkGlx0LhM2qJUKEH11HBXDrTQ75ICTRO6McAx9MGwcjc8yfgQGPDdWtN-u6Oz/s1600/nxnw+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_eDVg712jVxSH8zKidSYldd3z-4A5O1JdxsUl31TOYTc-3O9sXaHvQtaQOdcWJm3q_kVu0p4IgQVbTrYkGlx0LhM2qJUKEH11HBXDrTQ75ICTRO6McAx9MGwcjc8yfgQGPDdWtN-u6Oz/s400/nxnw+poster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>

Alfred Hitchcock Bernard Herrmann Cary Grant Ernest Lehman Eva Marie Saint James Mason Jessie Royce Landis Martin Landau North by Northwest Rafael Theatre The Lady Eve (author) North by Northwest - free to the public...

When I was a little girl, the only director whose name I knew was Alfred Hitchcock. Though I didn't see any of his signature films of the era in a theater - Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959) - I mu…

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Nursery Tour

<p>Welcome to Baby Bangert’s nursery!</p> <p>We painted over Christmas break before we knew the gender. We chose <a href="http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1161246">Restoration Hardware’s</a> light silver sage for a  color. I knew the color would work well for a boy and of course adding pink to it worked out perfect for our little girl!</p> <p>This is the view from the door.  The crib was a generous gift from some friends who moved out of state a few years ago and their little guy was ready to move to a big bed. We purchased their crib mattress for only $25 (they paid over $200) I guess it pays to plan ahead! Her bedding is from <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/?bnrid=3560101&cm_ven=BrandSearch&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=BrandExact&cm_ite=pottery+barn+kids&OVMTC=Exact&site=&creative=4394783413&OVKEY=pottery%20barn%20kids">Pottery Barn Kids</a> I purchased a few years ago on super clearance. I think it was back in 2006 I had <em>MAJOR</em> baby fever, but after lots of life chats with Kyle we decided it just wasn’t the right time yet. Everything happens for a reason, right?!?!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5vq-qn4LAKf7afUR2bOOfhKVPsUzeRImOFOgvshZ2JGLL7NscuGiTNOmnu6L0tSiVwYQSIBu6c3pAOgxBn5mwzCaE_BbnWcZ6tF_8Gm9YVf97-AvtI_nh9tNAA5iGXsORkjci_BZyQoVp/s1600-h/DSC09919%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09919" border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggsjvWkr-fTlOIjAxn12vNPAk5yOy-DcNVL6tylQsEp2Og_8YAqMAMPCaFTFyDqF2nwNqX2IPNVYKEDbjZ_GmUrqhPPYRc8ojnweeDvl-3EmIZYhyykdmcqUIBTVtDkY19NgmRbN94TBQs/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09919" width="404"></a></p> <p>Above her crib we plan to do something similar to this with her name. Don’t get excited though, Stella isn’t one of the names on the list…just a sample! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG3iumrgA0bD8kJAxJUjtP6mbIY6NRjQfktLqcM89UI1J0ShJiAOickpgMsG4I6LfoYVmUIzqjRYl4zWvRbQm_VLdv340flEBcS3yFOatsGPG2T9TxW3SSWnHbD131LtImIHwg1MqDWq0/s1600-h/image%25255B3%25255D.png"><img alt="image" border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvfnUiLJL8z7UNns7EtqVyeBpCFMZgXaM6xJG-WUbH7605O4gBwvYUvgM442vmfkw5O-mbF2HaHTI2KMmcCIHS5pogX9TJmNheVpUqoNybCD4Ll36cj6yuQl4uOsBglwLxB09XcO64rj6y/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="image" width="354"></a></p> <p>To the left of the crib is some décor I explained in this post <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011/03/nursery-progress.html">here</a>. </p> <ul> <li>The frame on the far left has pink scrapbook paper with a white swirly design. Once we pick out her name I’m going to put a big initial of her first name. <li>Another little owl from my friend, <a href="http://www.kimcreates.blogspot.com">Kim</a>. (Kyle still needs to hang up the carbon monoxide detector) <li>The 2nd frame is something I designed & framed.  <li>Then we have her ultrasound. <li>Lastly, I finished it off with some coordinating scrapbook paper I picked up at Hobby Lobby. <li>The 2 pink iron flowers below are hooks I also got at Hobby Lobby for $3/each.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8t29geK6IhSv4kOVupm83VYAI3rwehOAVd8J0PEw9_ZIF_uxaIDkEED-Po2sInrMVxUEHJr548UyBhsQ2Riri9OHVVb7nxyTpKaFEozBm-FWBnMD8LRKswUy86pru3qO9u_kkeemiJzEx/s1600-h/DSC09928%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09928" border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XTiR0IbwNW2S5KNTBB9roykvPUS-GQynaqNQarUj3vtiBSr7Q3JJ2Of0NehqnseHZXoM210CsQKYxDmkVq5dskSe2KnM_-o7J02_cMp_fiOPTqrHaz2rwRtbBRx_jH4Nm5-LiWskWFzN/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09928" width="304"></a></li></ul> <p>To the right of the crib is a night stand we picked up at <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/">Ikea</a> for under $10. And in the corner is our comfy, cozy glider we got with the generous help of my Grandma! The ottoman was a gift from my Mom & sisters for one of my baby showers! Both are from <a href="http://www.babiesrus.com">Babies R Us</a>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNe686IBlD07xJEYlP6ygjHgbJfERPcUZxy2u0FtfPB21ExZ-vwF5Di7HCcMIIIyQJS6Z9wUQa6BPpewaEpwxReI_s6YFfvdpugAwOWjnLUMCRrJ99wixRw0muwc8LInUZk8pWpStyB9e/s1600-h/DSC09920%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09920" border="0" height="413" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuza2xQAkznbTrIewrughQsPqWqdU0JXBRZKr_p91lqSi1YQji_tkL1Z_bR_VF8y1ERNHFGZlgeem3DXi76M627jLhdmYRsfR2hwJOnc45MP99870AmYktRoLyPvvIIhwFGAPOUP4373G/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09920" width="304"></a></p> <p>Zooming in at the side table…the lamp & light block (the outside says “Iowa Hawkeyes”!!) were shower gifts. The lamb piggy bank was a gift from Kyle’s Grandma. And we picked up the pink clock/ipod dock with gift cards at Target. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKOURP6BSK2b75hPVjV9RQ3O0IMTG_5I8WLi6betzX7EcstiuIyoezuvWnzPqa8Rp-aqYrJ5yH_6nbnJXpiD1DAMYobeckoBBW-urHiaI-XLce779q75M-PvWpTJo1DDuVIXlL8DugB8y/s1600-h/DSC09921%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09921" border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oNp32MF64aRhWByYzTB0LmdJtSsTbrDZo8wnI8U7R9q8pzelRXG5nDZEQ8r8vjoKN-z5odTidlhi_TAe_qrq0ILC1_icA67otzQeAUlc_ZUXM5_FAw_ScvgKFVB0um4_NNKqSSSX_he8/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09921" width="304"></a></p> <p>Here’s a close up of our glider! The owl was made by my good friend <a href="http://kimcreates.blogspot.com/">Kim’s</a> mom! She used them for decorations at my <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011/05/work-baby-shower.html">work shower</a>! Kyle’s Mom made the sweet blanket on the back of the chair and the tag blanket was a gift from my cousin!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A54ood2GsNCuZJXnLU3rJtT4Qtt8tRC5nshTY3k2WXF7vKkXbJIpjx6o82eH4WF_rPTkThmGYAWC3O5vx0RvWysxlyocBVE7ZVJjsoztcthyphenhyphenFKhRp-5o0i64UGeS_dVJGbQnlMNvrNtA/s1600-h/DSC09922%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09922" border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifPgMNTtDwy7copFtjrf2H76Cdt4XlCAcxNORaZ-xeeRgGh4WX7qIRzAEuUPEENOLM_sX48OIWDzqdRHrXj0yq_DdcPHUdYRiqx3TjOcHjlkZ-5S7nf0i8RqOH5wUMjDA4GecWP2dQ6Fy3/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09922" width="354"></a></p> <p>Above the chair is a shelf we purchased from Ikea that holds a few baskets for storage. My sister, Mindi, made the banner below for one of my <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011/05/work-baby-shower.html">baby showers</a>! Once we pick out her name I was going to re-arrange the letters to spell out her name. I picked up the calendar at Hallmark. A friend I scrapbook with said she used one to jot down notes on each day of what baby did and it came in super hand when she went back to do her little guy’s scrapbook!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfur-XrYCfNW0HBR2mXz7gUNgUfeyVzKNX0zbxm2bvSMxbuqyG5pZribbMw3Ay31TKkUtplm9A_YfxCRvPyuptSw3Y9sEEVg20zkr1GkMC-hzMXvP9XrmS1r6NsiAU-aGBqZxpzp6daDeN/s1600-h/DSC09923%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09923" border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJFf9ZdLaotnREsdGJRqxwK66gySAjmiVWQ9YbxpLAWH54mf2bZ_D0VtZY-7Chgfuz8Y1WYI_QrDvRib6QT79zTKsZyZcjd4ZOLyj-K3Q2_j8SL22-fZyfTHte7pa06PSN8Ev-YcMp2vp0/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09923" width="404"></a></p> <p>Here is her changing station. We used a dresser we already had and just added the changing pad to the top. The cover on the changing pad is from <a href="www.etsy.com">Etsy</a> (one of my favorite sites!!). To the left of the changing station is her hamper and to the right is the much needed Diaper Genie! The curtains were a set of 2 <a href="http://www.target.com/Eclipse-Miley-Window-Panel-Pink/dp/B002OLABRU/ref=br_1_22?ie=UTF8&id=Eclipse%20Miley%20Window%20Panel%20Pink&node=300012011&searchSize=30&searchView=list&searchPage=1&sr=1-22&qid=1306876768&rh=&searchBinNameList=target_com_category-bin%2Cprice%2Ctarget_com_primary_color-bin%2Ctarget_com_size-bin%2Cmaterial_type%2Ctarget_com_brand-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1">black out, floor length panels from Target</a> that Kyle’s mom hemmed into 4 curtains to cover the 2 windows in the nursery. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2UHWPzSEYAYZMQzNc_RqchUwammj5UQANkR37WT9bscDI5kfP1eglV_jIw0yMGhW63dDgep0sukViWbNi4Mn-MWqcwOfb6D2Lp8dyLoNq40NMjTWPrV4GTZrUS64U3-0xkS98Pj5HG85/s1600-h/DSC09924%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09924" border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwP5j1xYzHwK2k3dbhG-5T1VQOhJbuXSf4uw9OdG3hEbVlH8HO5tSzUvCINYaSCHzUdlhfq22fgI5yV-XDjRe3enCOir3ta0gbb7Pkv2-JiMTlWBCEaJw57sXVkwnnOg0uclLhyphenhyphenZGl5lfw/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09924" width="354"></a></p> <p>You’ve seen her closet <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011/01/18-weeks.html">here</a>! It’s much fuller now! LOVE it!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejZH9kUK2g4FZOFUKpyjavu0n-9cpREdqUc95RxwqW7TZRYlc3oJQbTYwfL7eeP0QKXmc3e4SrnvX7NLyFCo14xH0_mdome1ovEOkcCsCM1LPzZAioDztSn0AGeYkATGRU6XNf_ALTer1/s1600-h/DSC09926%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09926" border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU8Z_WtVpCevVWggwXeOop-356emjVjbxt7nToVefYTIE-q_574KaUfOljgzeZ01dVX33r3Cgrrkni-BSVK3XjNzTc93CQKYp5k7zCV3Ic2WAWCjWCOM2oUJ7EZmZZE4n54BCgZ-8pnapo/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09926" width="454"></a></p> <p>To the right of the closet is a bookshelf with cubbies & storage for her already growing book collection! Above the shelf is another owl from my friend, <a href="http://www.kimcreates.blogspot.com">Kim</a>. Hanging on the wall is a scrapbook page display frame I got as a birthday gift from my sister Mindi a few years ago. I think it worked perfect in her room to display her shower invite & other memorabilia. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyPbDKIGGSwfkU2G8jjZwArbDvI7KzZMNHp5fCCJ8YK_tnpEYbSwY20nkvnZdf_noUWrjIurE6fzp1rFfWHjjphRcB1jmppn8fU0xT1lu0QAhVL3vaW10eyAcPX02lD3OiSkIwdZV8AYL/s1600-h/DSC09927%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img alt="DSC09927" border="0" height="777" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGO0JuLi4MyCP4Kmd13IO-fw8OdmrVvUikc4aZG9nOE2j3eYyD1L00XAAplb_21DEbnF8JljpBtZaP9tz3Und8YyPWczpSqIPV2KQUGGVCKgKl224ovtMHWsAEJTvRK84vOD-VlV3yB7x/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09927" width="454"></a></p> <p>Behind the door is the <a href="http://weightloss-stories.blogspot.com/2011/05/bow-holder.html">bow holder</a> I made. Kyle hung some hooks to store the diaper bag and her cute little robes!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_ZkieVYHbivBCiB0akVYo2g-dItiHmWemOPONietIdad4zCJMIRcJa6C-DVkouEU_8Rtbm3wqLxduMr1yCFw_GvzlibJv7vNp_8qmrSqBNAMp4OihXBeFgRTDXtAWylSuBVGJL8ondsA/s1600-h/DSC099295.jpg"><img alt="DSC09929" border="0" height="701" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaM6LXUy6JkTjFFDjH2DxXDHqrMt7DzwalvyiEIUofi48zyfPAYeWthFudSAyIpAVlqvkl5fFNWLFMwkQqF6Rpfu0vyI1G8aiUjXF2wrmHfyXPbgjjV5mqkSR-InAldodk_WUz2oh98XP/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09929" width="454"></a></p> <p>We are ready for her arrival…hospital bag all packed & ready to go!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5PHin7Oxwc9bykVvkavGp7LrV-2ljOSSgU28O80k3w1KM8erXvEhSQN9sFV_OtfKwCsPvVjTCQokvPNRILAcus53Bmk8I-DgajTwfXa8PzEDwfUmgmfBjifQE8I74Pz5qAAf7YRlbzME2/s1600-h/DSC099305.jpg"><img alt="DSC09930" border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYz8rvlUWxoHA1sFkmzTkUjwocgO84RYD8NglniKy__JaWU-4LUIPVyquUj-XJpXoQtgYuGDiHT1v4PDRy9Yjjylyd286jwmOONEgrB3p8XzYlKqq2xiMcExNoSDyEarFY5PwApJUVPDip/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-width: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; float: none; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin: 0px auto; padding-top: 0px; border-right-width: 0px" title="DSC09930" width="454"></a></p>And just for the fun of it I included a video tour of her nursery too! We just got our video camera and had to test it out! <img alt="Smile" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9br3hC5XPPrixYpmYz0yByypqXedfJ5P0cO6HEb7NTDbSJAdEoxbFXZuLXr6QkfF56aDMQaQvyemsNVm4pw06NDeuFfezCYAqIVsU3tnU1EgWP1xiuvp4PZpXJFgbP8LAhyphenhypheneSdDbTsVkt/?imgmax=800" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-bottom-style: none"> <div class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent" id="scid:5737277B-5D6D-4f48-ABFC-DD9C333F4C5D:1b6e4e17-c5cd-41e2-b198-e09d9f23251a" style="padding-right: 0px; display: block; padding-left: 0px; float: none; padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px auto; width: 448px; padding-top: 0px"><div id="528551e7-c20e-44a3-a083-282d28dd5afa" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gRv7aOx03w" target="_new"><img alt="" galleryimg="no" onload="var downlevelDiv = document.getElementById('528551e7-c20e-44a3-a083-282d28dd5afa'); downlevelDiv.innerHTML = "<div><object width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><param name=\"movie\" value=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/9gRv7aOx03w?hl=en&hd=1\"><\/param><embed src=\"http://www.youtube.com/v/9gRv7aOx03w?hl=en&hd=1\" type=\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"448\" height=\"277\"><\/embed><\/object><\/div>";" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9k8VkIzk90TWytACd4xgx5SYyCOpp6YjheA0qsR0mIpE21DtSdzvNHUrBAk4Hc6DJkAfARr07lBNIPS5JzXd62oedY_XsAtRdztIxPHV5MqkoD_cU35wa8O8Wmv175ogZdn8aS-Y-fdXa/?imgmax=800" style="border-style: none"></a></div></div></div>

Nursery Tour

Welcome to Baby Bangert’s nursery! We painted over Christmas break before we knew the gender. We chose Restoration Hardware’s light silver sage for a  color. I knew the color would work well for a boy and of course adding pink to it worked out perfec…

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Great Strides 5K

On Saturday, May 21, I participated in the <a href="http://www.cff.org/">Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's</a> <a href="http://www.cff.org/great_strides/">Great Strides 5K</a> in Waldorf, MD.  With the help of my family and friends, I was able to raise $270 for this event!  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3goM43505i5XzO2w3ZFHHptDIRr0wjirOTXjcM6DT3OfFxNNjqE7551jmkkyQy7DO_BugccED1C-N_oaZI1W8p7WBdlwquzqhvg1jzfyF2xAVGBd9nbHWquMnwab16E9rVxN3PeShEMs/s1600/CFF+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3goM43505i5XzO2w3ZFHHptDIRr0wjirOTXjcM6DT3OfFxNNjqE7551jmkkyQy7DO_BugccED1C-N_oaZI1W8p7WBdlwquzqhvg1jzfyF2xAVGBd9nbHWquMnwab16E9rVxN3PeShEMs/s320/CFF+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The walk was great and scenic, taking us through parts of Waldorf I had never seen before.  <br /><br />The event did not start until a little after 10 AM, which was a little late for my liking - it got really hot really quick!  Also, apparently we ended up doing more than a 5K, which made sense to me at the time because it felt like the walk was going on and on and on.  When we arrived back to the finish line the coordinator said there was a mess up with the walk routing and that we walked close to 6 miles.  I don't actually think it was 6 miles... maybe we did closer to 4, but definitely not 6.  <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVAlYyMpQ4Fw8SQrs9Ite_hYR8oJZLBEGc0ayOOS_gLFE_zR3JoXw8cwiKRnu7ZactAhjN4ZVqIfylfzc71eOOFX2ZAmiItuDF9pTIZD2InVP4OycIdwL2GBq_5SEOLWm7QQSuUfII2Q/s1600/CFF+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVAlYyMpQ4Fw8SQrs9Ite_hYR8oJZLBEGc0ayOOS_gLFE_zR3JoXw8cwiKRnu7ZactAhjN4ZVqIfylfzc71eOOFX2ZAmiItuDF9pTIZD2InVP4OycIdwL2GBq_5SEOLWm7QQSuUfII2Q/s320/CFF+2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />It was a great event and I look forward to doing it again next year!<br /><br />Thanks to everyone for your financial support!

5K Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Great Strides Great Strides 5K

On Saturday, May 21, I participated in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Great Strides 5K in Waldorf, MD.  With the help of my family and friends, I was able to raise $270 for this event!  The walk was great and scenic, taking us through parts of Wald…

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