Just for Fun

I am sharing this because it just makes me laugh and who doesn't need a good laugh?!

http://host-d.oddcast.com/elfyourself2012/?mId=44791688.2 

Isn't that hysterical?

Go ahead...ELF YOURSELF! Then send it to me!

Nostalgia - for Ginger, Stef and Tim

Although I have a laundry list of things to do to get ready for the arrival of my sister and her family today and for Thanksgiving in general, I thought I'd share some pictures that I stumbled upon recently. They made me smile.

This was the summer of 1970 - I was 9 and Ginger was 6. I believe this was a beach in
San Clemente, California. It was my first time to be on a beach and to see the ocean.

Here I am feeding and falling in love with my brand new baby sister, Stef. This might have
 been the moment that I decided that I wanted nothing more than to be a mama.

And here is the moment that I realized that my little brother wasn't so little anymore, Tim was about 13 here - as you can see, he is taller than me in this picture - I was wearing 3 inch heels! I also like this picture because we were young and beautiful! 

So these photos don't directly relate to Thanksgiving...except to say that I am very thankful for all three of my siblings. The four of us couldn't be more different from each other, but each one of them in their own way has taught me valuable life lessons. I am proud to be their big sister. Ginger, Stef and Tim - I don't say it often enough, but I hope you know that I love you all!

Christmas Tree Therapy

The quality of these photos is not great. Most of these pictures were taken with my phone...however, in the interest of letting you know what I've been up to since last weekend, I thought I'd go ahead and post these.  Better photos promised soon.

The calm before the storm! Despite thinning out my decorations earlier this year, I still have 10 storage containers
dedicated to Christmas decorations. I promise not to buy ANY new decorations this year...really...I promise...

8 ft. tall - decorated with burgundy roses, poinsettias, berry branches, sugared apples, pears & pomegranates. This is a
new tree and is in the living room. It is much better than it looks in this photo - I will definitely get a better photo of this tree.

This 2 ft. tree sits on the piano. It has a special place in my heart because Ron bought it at a
Duane Read for me on Christmas Eve when we spent the holiday in New York City in 2003.     

4 ft. tree decorated with cream colored roses and golden glittery fruit.
Living room.

3 ft. - this is the only tree in my house with multi-colored lights this year. It's the only whimsical tree - decorated with  candy cane  bows, elves and reindeer peeking through the branches. It plays a variety of Christmas carols, too. This tree is in the family room.

4 ft. - decorated in rust colors with glittery balls, roses  and ribbons.
This tree is in #1 guestroom. I will try to  get a better picture of this tree.

6 ft. white tree decorated with silver & white snowflakes, balls, and butterflies. This tree is in the dining room.

There are two more trees to photograph, but they need a little tweaking before they are ready to be made public. Decorating Christmas trees is one of my true joys - too bad I can't make a year 'round career of it! Who needs therapy when I can decorate trees?!

Cloud Atlas

About 2 years ago, I tried to read this book. Couldn't do it. Just wasn't able to get into it. It was disappointing to me because it was a book that Beckie had chosen for her book club. I found out later that she didn't finish reading the book either.

Flash forward 2 years and the trailers for the movie Cloud Atlas were released making the movie look very interesting. Then factor in Tom Hanks (my favorite actor) and I had to see it. We knew going in that it was going to be a long movie (2 hours and 52 minutes) so we settled in to watch it last Friday.

It's very hard to describe this movie. Let me start by telling you that Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, and Susan Sarandon each portray more than one character in this movie. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry each play at least 6 different characters in different time periods. Their versatility is amazing. The movie bounces around to these different time periods so it's important to pay close attention throughout the entire film. The acting is amazing here. Each story line is compelling and serious, but there is some comic relief as well.

The tag line for this film is "Everything is connected." The film demonstrates that the same souls find each together in one lifetime after another. It is an interesting take on karma and reincarnation. So, if you are up to watching a long movie, go see Cloud Atlas. Just be sure to make a pit stop before you sit down in the theater.

Busy Hands

I have been a little blue lately. Physically I am doing better every day. My strength and stamina continue to improve and I am actively exercising and going to physical therapy. Even so, I feel pretty isolated during the week. I am still prohibited from driving until the end of the year, so it really limits me.

Now that the holidays are rolling in, I keep thinking about what I have done in years past...more times than not I think about the place I used to work and the people there. I guess I am still coming to terms with being unemployed. Recently, I talked to a friend about how I was feeling. She was very supportive and suggested that I get back to doing some sewing or other crafty things...so I did! The picture above is the table runner I made. This reminded me how much I enjoy making things and how satisfying it is to finish a project. Thanks for reminding me, Eileen!

I am also starting to slowly put up Christmas decorations. I admit it's a little early, but putting up my Christmas trees has always been very therapeutic for me. I won't have time to be blue....I'm gonna deck the halls!

What were we thinking?

Oh, the shame!

This past week I had the opportunity to reminisce with both Beckie and Mandi about their childhood. One of the issues that came up was all the terrible food I fed them while they were growing up. I am fairly certain that we visited McDonald's at least once a week for Chicken McNugget Happy Meals...yikes! In our defense, we didn't realize how unhealthy fast food was - people didn't talk about it back then. At the time I never thought about the nutritional value of a happy meal. I was just relieved that there was something the girls would eat because they were incredibly finicky eaters.

We also talked about how Ron would go out on Sunday morning to get a newspaper and a box of donuts - that was our Sunday morning ritual. When the girls were in school, I stocked the freezer with Hot Pockets (ham and cheese or pepperoni) and Totino's French Bread Pizzas. In the pantry there was an assortment of Chef Boyardee goodies like Beefaroni and Ravioli. Geez...no wonder Mandi is a vegetarian and Beckie is a vegan! I did keep a lot of fresh fruit in the house, but really, what was I thinking?

Fortunately, all three girls survived their childhood and learned how to eat healthy without any help from me. Now they are relentless about trying to get us to eat better. We really are trying. We are doing better with healthier food choices much of the time, but I'd be lying if I said we had sworn off pizza or burgers forever. It's all about moderation, right?

Oh, the shame!

We'll do better - I promise!

Book Three: Toothiana

I finished Toothiana: Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies a couple weeks ago but just hadn't gotten around to writing about it until now. This is the third book in The Guardians series by William Joyce. This time around he gives us the origins of the tooth fairy, Queen Toothiana. She joins forces Nicholas St. North and E. Aster Bunnymund in their fight against Pitch, the Nightmare King.

I can't help but compare these books to the Harry Potter series. Of course, if forced to choose, I would have to say that I prefer the Harry Potter books because J. K. Rowling created a totally new fantastic world of witches, wizards and muggles. However, it is probably much more difficult to create stories around the well-loved and storied characters of  Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Joyce also introduces us to the Man in the Moon, Mother Nature and hints at the origins of Jack Frost and Mother Goose.

Right about the same time that Toothiana came out, The Sandman was also released. This a BEAUTIFUL picture book for a little younger audience. This is the story of Sanderson Mansnoozie and how he became "His Nocturnal Magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Sandman the First, Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams." His magical power is sending Dreamsand to sleeping children to give them lovely dreams to counteract the evil efforts of Pitch, the Nightmare King.

I am a very big fan of William Joyce and his books. He's a wonderful illustrator and storyteller. The movie Rise of the Guardians is due in theaters the day before Thanksgiving this year. I was relieved to find out that Mr. Joyce co-wrote the screenplay as well as co-produced this movie. When an author is involved with the making of a movie based on his book, I think the movie is more faithful to the story. I can't wait to see it!

Pitch Perfect

Last night we had the choice to see Cloud Atlas, Argo or Pitch Perfect. I was interested in all of them, but Cloud Atlas is a 3 hour movie (I was already yawning and never would have made it through a movie that long); Argo was listed at 2 hours and 15 minutes (still too long); Pitch Perfect was 1 hour and 52 minutes - the WINNER!

What a fun movie! It's about college acapella singing group competitions. The story revolves around a freshman girl who is reluctant to join the Barton Bellas, but eventually comes to love being in the group. She also has a bit of a love story with one of the male singers from the rival singing group - the Treble Makers. Truthfully, the plot is a little thin. For me it was all about the performances and the competitons. The filmmakers presented this movie in a tongue-in-cheek manner - it was nothing to be taken too seriously. If you like the TV show Glee, you will love this movie.

Ron and I enjoyed the movie so much that we have been talking about seeing it a second time just to see the musical performances again. Yes, we are those music nerds, but that shouldn't keep you from going to see the movie. It really was FUN! I might have called it a guilty pleasure, but I'm not at all embarrassed or guilty about recommending this movie. Go see it!