Brass Butterflies

Extra CHALLENGE in addition to Friday's challenge

This challenge starts today & can be posted all this week thru the weekend.  No rules, anything goes.  Must  be a self portrait : a portrait of oneself done by oneself
You can use Photoshop or any editing program, be creative....
Have fun & show your true self...Ü
Leave only a link to your entry here in the comment area.

Only one category on this challenge.
There will be no judging.

So get your tripods out & use your timer.....& say CHEEEEEEEEEEESE!
(or just stick your arm out, aim it your way & snap...Ü)

Here's the Link;

 http://journals.aol.com/mariebm56/aol-community-photo-challenge/

(above info was snag from AOL Communtiy)

I've been wanting to enter into the Photo Challenge and I keep putting it off. Well I've had enough of my own self procrastination, so here is my Portrait of Oneself done by Oneself.

brendaspears97 at 11:11:58 AM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 26 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

This is called “FIRST REACTIONS QUIZ”. You have to type the 1st thing that comes to mind whenever you hear these 33 things. You can’t think and go back and change your answers.

TIP: erase all of the other persons answers first...that way u can think in blanK SPACES.


Here we go

1. Beer: Buzz

2. McDonalds: Gross

3. Relationships: Great

4. Purple: Barney

5. Power Rangers: Whatevea

6. Weed: Doobies!

7. Steroids: makes you look like a blown-up frog!

8. Cartoons: are for everybody!

9. The President: of my company says the word "Groovy".

10. Tupperware: makes me think of drinking kool-aide from my momm's tupperware cups.

11. Florida: Home where my everything is.

12. Santa Claus: Fake like boobs!

13. Halloween: triple, triple, tolls & trouble!

14. Alcohol: me sleepy.

16: Myspace: The evil part is a breeding ground for stalkers. But I still like it...go figure.

17. Clowns: no comment

18. Marriage:. there are no bad marriages, just bad people in them.
19. Paris: that's where Carrie Bradshaw went with her Russian.

20. Redheads: stand out
21. Blondes: always gets a second look.

22. Pass the: salt

23. One night stands: scary

24. Donald Trump: very, very insecure.

25. Neverland: where the lost boys live.

26. Dixie: Chicks!

27. Vanilla ice cream: YUMMY!

28. Hooters: Beer, Wings, & Boobs!

29. High school: missed out on somethings.

30. Pajamas: are the best!

31. Woody: & Buzz Light Years!

32. Wet Socks: WTF???

33. I love: my Girls & my Life.

 

brendaspears97 at 4:12:01 PM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 4 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Weekend in Review

I had a rare weekend of alone time. Victoria was at her dads, Nikki was playing social butterfly. So I had the house all by myself.

Friday ~ After work I curled up with  Christine Feehan's book "Dark Possession". If you like good looking well hung bloodsuckers. This book is right up your alley

Saturday ~ House cleaning and then I treated myself to a movie solo style. I went and saw the new RAMBO movie which was full of blood & guts. But I have to say I liked it, alot. Something about a man with a gun looking all tough just does something to me. lol After the movie, I went to Books A Million. If I haven't mention it, I love to read and to be in a book store with thousands of books just makes me feel good. It's like hunting for treasures, cause I want to find just the right book. Anyhoo, I bought one of Annette Blair's book. It's a romance/witchy chick book, and I have to say. I made a good choice because I read the book in one day. The book was "The Scot, The Witch, & The Wardrobe"...very yummy book read.

 

Here is the book cover to my new yummy book!

Sunday ~ Was a stay inmy pj's, drink cup after cup of coffee and read. No dishes to wash, no clothes to fold, no "mama I need this"....just a day to do what I wanted to do. Oh yea and I took a nap.....naps are sooo not overrated! Love them!

I hope everyones has a wonderful week!

brendaspears97 at 2:12:32 PM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 5 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

The Legendary
Jose Gaspar - Gasparilla, The Pirate

Jose Gaspar was a Spanish pirate that prowled the waters of Tampa Bay, Florida.  One of the more successful pirates, Gaspar is credited with capturing over 400 ships from 1789 to 1821. Adopting the nickname Gasparilla, he buried treasure in numerous places throughout the west coast of Florida.

Known as the "Last Buccaneer", Gasparilla was planning on retiring from a life of piracy. Ironically, on the day he was dividing his treasure among his crew. he spied a fat British merchant ship passing offshore.  Gaspar couldn't resist one last plunder and gave chase.  Unfortunately, the merchant ship was really the disguised USS Enterprise - a U.S. Navy warship on a pirate-hunting mission.

Jose Gaspar pulled in close to the ship before realizing, too late, that it was a trap.  A spirited battle between pirate and pirate-hunter ensued.  Gaspar's ship caught fire and was about to be boarded.  Rather than give up and be hanged for piracy, Gasparilla wrapped a heavy chain around his waist and jumped off the bow of his ship.

While Gaspar disappeared beneath the waves, he was not forgotten, nor was his treasure.  Gaspar had left it on shore with some of his trusted crew as he went to attack what he though was the merchant ship.

After the battle, the crew that remained onshore took the treasure inland and buried it in different places along the coast.  None of Jose Gaspar's treasure has ever been recovered.

For over one hundred years, Tampa Bay has celebrated the memory of Jose Gaspar with a massive parade and festival called the Gasparilla Pirate Fest or Gasparillafest.  Over half a million people attend annually.  The world's only fully-rigged pirate ship, the "Jose Gasparilla", sails up into Tampa Bay accompanied by hundred of small boats.  The ship is loaded with pirates, firing cannons, intent on capturing the city.

Each year, the city surrenders and the pirates take to the streets and lead a huge parade with over 120 krewes and their floats winding through downtown Tampa.

Now a reincarnation of Jose Gaspar and his crew have returned and continue to hide more  treasure in the Tampa Bay area.  Finally, you have the opportunity to find some of his treasure for yourself... 

 

The Gasparilla Pirate Festival

is an annual celebration held in the city of Tampa, Florida. Held each year in late January and hosted by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and the City of Tampa, it celebrates the apocryphal legend of José Gaspar (Gasparilla), supposedly a Spanish pirate captain who operated in southwest Florida. The theme is an "invasion" by Gasparilla and his men, which begins when the "Krewe" (made up of residents of the city) arrives on a 165' long pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla, in Tampa Bay and land near downtown Tampa. The mayor of Tampa then lends the key of the city to the pirate captain and a parade ensues down Bayshore Boulevard, one of Tampa's major streets. The krewes throw beads, coins and other items while shooting blank pistols from floats during the parade. The average attendance for the event is over 400,000 people. Krewe memberships are highly sought after in many social circles in Tampa, and many celebrate ethnic and cultural themes. TheYe Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the organization which founded and sponsors the parade, is the oldest krewe involved in the parade, and among the most prestigious. Members of the many krewes that now participate spend a great deal of money on beads and floats. There is also the Floatilla where hundreds of boats anchor & tie off to one another for and party the day & night away.

Here are some pics I took from Gasparilla

Dead Pirate manning the Bow of His Lost Vessel

The Floatilla is where hundreds of boats merge together and anchor around Davis Island and party till the wee hours.

Kinda Sorta Krewe. Left to Right - Billy, Jan, Carla, Dick, & Me.

This is the Invasion.

 

brendaspears97 at 2:01:38 PM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 8 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Pumpkin's Meme - Who are you?

1.   What is your name? Brenda Diane Spears
2.   How old are you? 38 & loving it!
3.   Where are you from? Plant City, Florida
4.   Do you smoke? Yes I do
5.   Do you drink? Yes, BloodyMary is my fav.
6.   Do you have a family?  Please explain, if yes. Two daughters, Nikki 17 and Victoria 10
7.   What are your hobbies? Reading, Blogging, & once upon a time scuba diving.
8.   What is your favorite ice cream? Butter Pecan
9.   What is your favorite animal? Cats of all sizes.
10.  Do you wear glasses? Sunglasses
11.  What nationality are your ancestors from? Irish
12.  What color is your hair? Redish Blonde at the moment,
13.  What are you wearing now? jeans & green shirt.
14.  What is your favorite color? I really love all colors.
15.  What teacher do you remember most from your childhood? Mrs. Taylor...she was the coolest 4th grade teacher.
16.  What are your pets and their names? Our cat, Eddie
17.  What is your favorite food? Mash Potatos
18.  What is your job? Marina Accountant

I got this from Dawn aka princesssaurora who in turn got it from her little one.

brendaspears97 at 11:10:22 AM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 6 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Diama asked if Spears was my real last name?

Yes, my real name is Brenda Spears.

And if I had a buck for every time a store clerk, bank teller, or whoever ask me....(insert slow southern accent here).."are you kin to Britney?".... I truly believe I would have enough money to buy a truck with big ole' tires!

Re: Britney

I've often stated that Britney Spears was proof that poor white trash could make it too the big time and still be white trash. That no amount of money could cover up what you truly are.....I know, not very compassionate on my part and kind of a hard hearted thing to say. I just have a hard time having a lot sympathy for someone who has millions of dollars in their bank account and can't seem to get their shit together. When there are so many  single working mothers out there busting their asses to keep it together and raise her kids right. So yea, my heart goes too and cheers for that kind of woman.

Ok, I think I'll get off my soapbox now.....

And Diama, for the record. I have never shaved my head nor will I need to. lol

 

brendaspears97 at 10:42:03 AM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 6 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

 

Some of you gals ask for a pic of my new hair color. So here it is, I don't think the pic does the red justice. But what the hey, and you know what they say....I'd rather be red on the head then dead in the bed. (I think that means being a bad lover..lol)

brendaspears97 at 2:13:10 PM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 7 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

~Wild Hair~

I got a wild hair to color my hair this weekend. You know sometimes a girl just needs a little change. So I put some strawberry blonde highlights in. I'm such a risk taker. lol

~The Girls~

Both of my girls are readers. I've always been very lucky that I didn't have to cram a book in their hands and nag them to read. Victoria will read anything with animals in it and Nikki likes to read books that have series to them. So those days of reading out loud so long ago has paid off.

~Moving~

I currently live in a small trailer park on the out skirts of town. And I really like it there, it's small, it's quiet, and the neighbors are nice. Well the trailer I originally wanted has come avaible. So I'm moving into it in a couple weeks. The bathroom has a garden tub and is twice the size of the one I have now. Ooo I am so happy about that. It also has a front porch, bigger kitchen & living room. And all this for the same price I'm paying now. I feel like singing the Jefferson's theme song....."I'm moving on up too that deluxe apartment in the skyyyyyy."lol

~Kim~

Kim aka demandlilchit....I had gotten an email from Bilinda letting me know what had happen to Kim the day after Christmas. And I was at work and I just broke down, I sat at my desk and just cried. I miss her....I don't think that feeling will ever go away.  And then I wanted to write a tribute to her. I wanted Kelly to know how much her sister meant to me. I wanted to say something to let others know how I felt about her and how wonderful I thought she was and how she made the world a better place to be. But there was no way possible that I could do that. Every time I sat down to write something, the words never came out right. But I will say this, I am so very happy that j-land has Kelly now.

~The New Year~

I can't really explain what I'm about to write, so just bear with me on this one. And I hope you get what I'm saying.

I am so looking forward to this year. I'm always happy to say goodbye to a bad year in my life. But I have never felt so strong about looking forward to time coming. I just have this feeling that 08 is going to be My year. I don't why, I just have that gut feeling. And I have no idea what's going to happen this year. And I don't even want to guess as to what it maybe. I just keep looking forward....is anyone getting what I'm saying? lol 

Everyone have a great week and thank you for reading my rambles, they may not always make sense. But that's just me..

 

brendaspears97 at 2:18:52 PM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 8 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Ok, here I go again. Starting another j.

 

brendaspears97 at 11:03:11 AM EST Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 8 comments: Show Recent | Add your own