Karen’s Opinion

I have been doing some research for this post. I thought I would review the movie hubby and I watched last weekend, All About Steve, but have changed my mind. It was not the best movie and I don’t feel like making this a downer of a post so instead of reviewing the “okay” movie I thought it would be fun to list a bit of Sandra Bullock trivia.

Fist off, Sandra Bullock has a sister. Gesine Bullock -Prodo is the younger sister of Sandra Bullock, whose nose she accidentally broke when they were kids. She sells Macaroon cookies from her own store located on Elm Street in Montpelier, Vermont. The cookies are made from the original French recipe that calls for no coconut. She attended University of Virginia and Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. She is a lawyer and was involved with Fortis Films, the production company owned by Sandra Bullock. She quit the business to pursue her cookie business.

Gesine’s husband is Raymond G. Prado. He is a storyboard artist and has been involved in many productions. He was the storyboard artist for Practical Magic, one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies. A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment. A storyboard artist is also known as an illustrator or visualizer. They are mostly freelance artists, typically hired by art directors and film directors. Deadlines are always tight, and overnight working is very common. In film, a storyboard artist is hired at the beginning of a project. When a storyboard artist is hired by a motion picture company, the artist must break down the scenes of the script into shots which can be filmed. This is done under the supervision of the film’s director in order to insure the director’s vision from the start of the project. Therefore, it can be helpful for the storyboard artist to know the mechanics of filmmaking when assisting the director. As the production proceeds, the storyboards are presented to the cinematographer who is then responsible for bringing that vision to the screen. Film production companies may also hire a storyboard artist to create polished presentation-style storyboards (which might also include sound) which can be used by an executive producer to raise the money to create the film.

Sandra Bullock’s mother, was German opera singer and voice teacher. She taught voice at Mary Washington College in in Fredericksburg, VA for many years. She was born February 12, 1942 and died of cancer in 2000. Sandra lived in Nuremberg until age twelve, where she sang in the opera’s children’s choir at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. She frequently traveled with her mother on her opera tours, and lived in Germany and other parts of Europe for much of her childhood. She is fluent in German. Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, taking small parts in her mother’s opera productions.

Sandra’s father was John W. Bullock, a voice coach and executive from Alabama. Bullock’s maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist from Nuremberg, Germany.

Bullock married motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James on July 16, 2005. They met when Bullock arranged for her ten-year-old godson to meet James as a Christmas present.

Sandra donated $1 million to relief efforts in Haiti following the Haiti devastating earthquake earlier this month.

And there you have it. A bit of Sandra Bullock Trivia for your day. Oh yeah, my favorite movie of hers is Practical Magic with The Blind Side coming in a close second most favorite.

The questions for this week’s FFonF:


1. What’s your favorite type or shape of pasta?
I like the denseness of rotini noodles. I rarely buy the tri-colored ones like pictures but use a lot of the plain ones.

2. Where do you shop for groceries? Kroger

3. What’s your favorite mayonnaise?I prefer Miracle Whip!

4. What is the food in your freezer wrapped/stored in? Storage Bags

While watching the evening news tonight, it was announced that Graco, the huge manufacturer of strollers and other infant furniture, just announced a voluntary recall of several models of their strollers. The hinges on the stroller’s canopy pose a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is opening or closing the canopy. My heart jumped when I heard that. Please spread the word about this. You can get more information at
the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Around 1.5 million of Graco’s Passage™, Alano™ and Spree™ Strollers and Travel Systems have been manufactured.

Graco has received seven reports of children placing their fingers in the stroller’s canopy hinge mechanism while the canopy was being opened or closed, resulting in five fingertip amputations and two fingertip lacerations.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine.

Many first time home buyers rushed to see if they were eligible to apply for loans to purchase homes when the law allowing a large tax credit was applied to home purchases after April 8, 2008, and before Jan. 1, 2009. The time allotted for these home purchases has been increased and the new deadline is June 30. Specifically, first time home buyers must sign a binding contract by April 30, 2010 that closes by June 30. If you are a first time buyer, or have not owned a home in 3 years you can get up to an $8000 tax credit. The income limits have also been increased up to $125,000 for singles and $250,000 for couples.

I have been so excited for new home buyers! I must have missed the notice that stated that repeat home buyers can receive a tax credit of up to $6,500 too. Qualified home buyers who purchase a principal residence after November 6, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010 (or purchased by June 30, 2010 with a binding sales contract signed by April 30, 2010) are eligible for this credit. It seems to me that this would really get the ball rolling to help people move up to homes that is more suited to their needs.

There are stipulations to being eligible for these credits. For more information, check out the overview of 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits at the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Learn Center Website. www.coldwellbanker.com.
These tax credits benefit us all here in the US. All home buyers benefit from other current market conditions such as lower home prices, an abundance of homes to choose from and interest rates that are near historic lows. Buying homes increases spending for other types of merchandise. Appliances, floor covering, paint and other important items are sold to new home buyers. It sounds like a good plan!

Does your brain seem more foggy when there is snow on the ground and the day is dreary? I am so sleepy and am finding it hard to get motivated today. I did finish a purse for a customer. I am going to have to buy more of this fabric because I barely had enough to make this bag. It is the fourth purse I have made out of this fabric so I think that others like it too!